After a week of allowing voters in Congressional District 9 believe that she didn't want to serve them any more, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema has finally made a Sherman-esque statement about the prospect of running in CD 7, where Congressman Ed Pastor recently announced he would not seek re-election.
The following was posted to Sinema's Facebook page about an hour ago:
I am flattered that some of my old neighbors and friends asked me to consider running for Congress in District 7. But I love my job representing the people of the 9th district and there is so much more to be done on behalf of the middle class. I am proud of the work I have accomplished but I have only just begun to change the way Congress does business.I am deeply grateful for the support I've received from across Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. My re-election campaign has already started and we look forward to talking about the work we have done and the work we still have to do to ensure that every Arizonan has a shot at the American Dream.
See also: --Top Ten Reasons Kyrsten Sinema Should Jump to CD 7
So who are these "neighbors and friends" who asked Sinema to run? First folks I saw suggesting this possibility were Republicans, no doubt salivating at the prospect of taking a Sinema-free CD 9.
Unlike CD 9, which is very competitive, CD 7 is a traditional minority-minority district, intentionally drawn with a 64 percent voting block so as to ensure minority representation in Congress from Arizona, one of the most racist states in the West.
Latino candidates and fellow Democrats such as state Senator Steve Gallardo, state Representative Ruben Gallego and Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox have already announced for the Democratic primary in CD 7.
Additionally, a group of Latino politicos recently sent a letter to Sinema, asking her to stay put in CD 9, where many consider her to be bulletproof.
Sinema did not earn herself any pals allowing the speculation to drag on this long. But then, politicians love attention, and she got plenty in the span of a week, so it's all good for Sinema, right?
And who cares if she ticked off a bunch of Latinos in the process? Certainly not Sinema, apparently.
Follow Valley Fever on Twitter at @ValleyFeverPHX. Follow Stephen Lemons on Twitter at @StephenLemons.
