I've seen several people ask why a 51D Senate is meaningfully better than a 50D Senate and nobody has given the correct answer: with 51Ds the party can openly primary Sinema without risking control of the Senate.
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That seems wrong; the 2024 map is real bad so you need every seat you can get.
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Ousting Sinema is the only hope of holding AZ-SEN in 2024.
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Right but that still doesn't make it a difference-maker. Or do you mean "she'll quit the party between the primary and the election"?
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I mean if it's a 50/50 Senate if the party institutionally opposes her she just signs on with McConnell for the rest of the Congress and fucks us. If it's 51/49 the party can put its weight behind Gallego.
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It's not just after the primary, she can blackmail the party into standing down if it's 50/50.
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Replying to @khuey_ @samth
It's not clear to me that she'd actually switch parties, or that the party would see a threat to do so as a credible one. I can't see the Republican party protecting Sinema the way the Democratic party tried to (and almost did) protect Specter in 2010.

Nov 9, 2022 · 10:10 PM UTC

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Replying to @davidbaron @khuey_ @samth
Yes, there was an article about this with Manchin. She has power now. She'd have zero power as R in a 51+R senate.