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Democrat Resigns From Arizona State Senate

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Democratic Arizona state Sen. Kirsten Engel has resigned from the Legislature.

“I know how much work it will take to win this district, and I’m ready to take on that challenge whole-heartedly,” Engel said in a statement.

In other news out of the state, the Arizona state Senate Committee on Elections has been passed, which would require voting machines to be made entirely of components sourced in the United States.

}The proposed change in election law backed by Arizona Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli and sponsored by Sen. Anthony Kern — both Republicans — relies on the constitutional legislature’s authority to oversee elections. Therefore, the lawmakers argue, it does not need Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signature to become Arizona’s voting policy,” the Western Journal reported.

“The resolution states right up front that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2017 designated election infrastructure as critical infrastructure. In light of this, Republican senators said that Arizona should follow the Department of Defense policy of requiring the supply chain for the machines to be sourced in the U.S.,” the outlet added.

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This comes as Arizona Republican Kari Lake said she’s “entertaining” a possible U.S. Senate run.

During an interview with Charlie Kirk on his Real America’s Voice show, Lake hinted that she could run for the Senate in the 2024 election if she doesn’t get a “decent ruling” in her lawsuit for the Arizona gubernatorial election.

When Kirk asked if she was “entertaining” a Senate run, Lake replied: “Yes I am entertaining it. I mean my number one priority is our court case, and I have full confidence in our court case and I hope we will get a judge to do the right thing. But I’m also looking at what happens if we don’t get a decent ruling in that, and they want me to go away, they want our movement to go away. I represent we the people, and if they want us gone so badly that they’re willing to steal an election then I’m not going to let them have that, I won’t go away.”

“I’ve seen some internal polling that shows I’m the only Republican who can beat these other two. I find both of them incredibly dangerous to the people of Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema’s voting record being 93 percent of the time voting for Joe Biden’s agenda, I find Ruben Gallego being a self-admitted socialist really frightening for Arizona and if I’m the only Republican who can beat them, I would be willing to jump in,” Lake added.

A state appeals court in Arizona has agreed to expedite a hearing into Lake’s lawsuit. The decision by the Arizona Court of Appeals comes after the state Supreme Court rejected her case earlier this month and remanded it to be heard first in lower courts. In a brief order, the court agreed with Lake’s arguments that her challenge should be handled as a “special action petition.” The court date is reportedly scheduled for March.

WATCH:

Lake’s campaign responded to rumors that she is considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Krysten Sinema, who left her party months ago and is now a self-declared Independent.

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“I’m told Kari Lake is considering running for the US Senate seat held by Kyrsten Sinema in 2024,” CNN political reporter Kate Sullivan posted on Twitter.

A recent poll showed that the firebrand Republican would defeat sitting Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Democrat challenger Ruben Gallego.

“The survey, released January 11 by the website Blueprint Polling, imagined a scenario in which Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent who’s held her Senate seat since 2019, runs for reelection against Lake and Gallego, a Democrat who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District. Lake, who rumors say is considering running for the seat but has not confirmed this, polled at 36 percent, according to Blueprint, well ahead of the two rivals. Gallego trailed closely with 32 percent, while Sinema ran a distant third with 14 percent,” Deseret News reported.

The poll said that in a three-way contest, one of six voters surveyed was undecided, which could assist Sen. Sinema in keeping her position.

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Since leaving the Democrat Party last month, Sen. Sinema has gained support from Republican and Democrat voters and, the poll said that her best chance to stay in the Senate “may be for the Republican party to nominate a candidate so flawed that moderate and conservative voters would abandon that person for the Independent Sinema.”

Sinema officially left the Democratic Party in December and changed her affiliation to the Independent. Her move weakens Democrats’ already tenuous hold on the upper chamber. Prior to her announcement, Democrats had a 51-50 majority in the U.S. Senate.

In a guest column for the Arizona Republic, Sinema slammed “partisanship” and the stranglehold it has on both major parties. Sinema, who is up for re-election in 2024, said she will continue to caucus with Democrats.

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