Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent.

Sinema made the announcement Friday by publishing an op-ed in the Arizona Republic.

The senator cited increasingly partisan interests and radicalization of both political parties as the reason for her departure.

“Americans are told that we have only two choices – Democrat or Republican – and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes,” Synema wrote in the op-ed.

“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different,” she continued. “I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political drama.”

Sinema went on to accuse mainstream political parties in the U.S. of worrying more about blocking each other out than the well-being of their constituents.

“When politicians are more focused on denying the opposition party a victory than they are on improving Americans’ lives, the people who lose are everyday Americans.,” Sinema wrote in the op-ed.

She added, “That’s why I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington. I registered as an Arizona independent. ”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.