Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) doesn't want to talk about her newly announced retirement from the Senate — and mocked reporters who tried to get more information from her on Tuesday.
In a video posted to X, NBC News congressional correspondent Julie Tsirkin caught up with Sinema and asked if she wanted to add anything more. A staffer walking next to her replied, "Blah blah blah blah blah," at which Sinema burst out laughing and continued to walk away.
Sinema did not respond to follow-up questions about whether she will make an endorsement for her successor.
Elected as a Democrat before renouncing the party, Sinema was involved in a number of high-stakes negotiations to pass landmark accomplishments of the Biden administration, including the infrastructure bill, the Safer Communities Act gun reform, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
She was also involved in the ill-fated bipartisan border security bill that appears all but dead after former President Donald Trump whipped House and Senate Republicans to oppose it.
While these accomplishments earned her praise, Sinema also faced criticism from Democrats for blocking efforts on the minimum wage, tax reform, and Senate rule changes, often vocally antagonizing Democratic colleagues in the process.
She also came under fire for her extensive spending of taxpayer funds on private jets, and for her habit of ghosting constituents who ask her questions. Polling last year suggested she had alienated voters across the political spectrum and was deeply underwater in a re-election bid.
Her exit from the race sets up a likely showdown between the Democratic frontrunner, Phoenix-area Rep. Ruben Gallego, and the GOP's unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial candidate, Kari Lake.
