PHOENIX — The Republicans call her a Democrat. The Democrats call her a traitor. But Arizona's Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema ignores the talk.
Sinema has yet to announce if she will seek a second term in 2024. Political Consultant Chuck Coughlin, CEO of Highground Inc., believes there is logic in keeping both her supporters and the candidates gunning for her job guessing.
"I can see some wisdom in it. In the sense that you want to be talked about. And once the field is set they are all going to be talked about," Coughlin said.
In the most recent Noble Insight Poll, Sinema is in 3rd place, behind frontrunner (D) Ruben Gallego and the presumptive Republican candidate Kari Lake. But Pollster Mike Noble says he has no doubts Sinema will be a player in the 2024 Senate race.
"She's sitting there with the same support level as Kari Lake, the presumptive Republican nominee and not too far behind Ruben Gallego. So, she is absolutely within striking distance," Noble said.
Still, Noble and Coughlin wonder if Sinema will have the money and infrastructure to run a successful campaign. Her campaign has a little more than $10 million on hand. It's a figure that's stayed pretty consistent since she became an Independent.
"I got to think that's a concern, I mean you want to have that fundraising machine engaged full-time," Coughlin said.
Senator Sinema has until the spring of 2024 to make a decision. But Chuck Coughlin says it needs to happen well before then, perhaps around the time of President Biden's State of the Union Address in January.
