Former Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), who later made the switch to independent, is joining the Washington Reporter as a contributing columnist, the outlet announced Monday.
“Senator Sinema is deeply respected across the aisle and brings a rare perspective shaped by years in Congress,” founders Brian Colas and Garrett Ventry said in a statement. “Her column will be an inside look at some of the most consequential policy debates.”
They added, “This is another step in establishing the Reporter as an independent, nonpartisan outlet dedicated to serious reporting and real policy insights. The Reporter will be announcing more contributing columnists in the coming weeks.”
In comments to Fox News Digital, Colas said the Washington Reporter reached out to Sinema’s team to bring a broader range of viewpoints to its audience.
“The Reporter is a center-right publication, but our aim is to reach a bipartisan audience, and that’s why we’re adding some columnists who will speak to both independents and Democrats,” Colas said. “For Sen. Sinema, our Republican audience also find her insights fascinating, especially some of the policy debates like AI and drug pricing and financial services.”
Sinema, who represented Arizona in the Senate, grew increasingly at odds with the Democrat Party during her time in office. She initially opposed then-President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda and supported preserving the Senate filibuster despite pressure from fellow Democrats to eliminate it.
In 2022, Sinema changed her party affiliation to independent and ultimately chose not to run for re-election in 2024.
Despite the backlash she faced from some Democrats, Colas told Fox News that the response to Sinema joining the Washington Reporter has largely been positive.
“We’ve had a lot of offices reach out and say this is a fascinating move and we look forward to seeing or reading what Sen. Sinema thinks about issues because they see her as someone who can speak across the aisle and actually understands how legislation gets done. So the feedback has been unanimously positive,” Colas said.
The New York Post reported in December that the Justice Department and FBI under the Biden administration had considered opening a criminal investigation into Sinema after she left the Democrat Party.
Sponsored
John Kennedy here. The last fundraising deadline passed — and we came up short. Now the woke crowd is celebrating, saying “Kennedy’s finished.” Let’s prove them wrong. Chip in $25, $50, or whatever you can to close the gap and keep fighting.
