In a move that doesn't come as much of a shock to anyone familiar with state politics in Arizona, Democratic state Senator Kyrsten Sinema announced today that she's resigning from her Senate seat and running for Congress -- potentially against Congressman Ben Quayle (although, that's unlikely. More on that below) -- in Arizona's newly drafted Ninth Congressional District.
There's been buzz for months that Sinema, a seasoned veteran in the Arizona Legislature, would seek higher office.
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For now, Sinema is the only Democratic candidate who's officially declared her candidacy -- Senator David Schapira formed an exploratory committee for a potential run for the seat in November, but is yet to make anything official.
Schapira's also expected to be sworn into the Senate when the Legislature goes back into session -- according to the rumor-mill, he doesn't plan to leave his Senate seat if he does decide to run for Congress.
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Quayle, a Republican, currently lives in what is now District 9. However, multiple sources tell New Times he's likely to run in District 6 (which is much more GOP-friendly than District 9) and face Congressman David Schweikert in a primary.
Members of Congress aren't required to live in the district they represent. Sinema, for example, doesn't actually live within the boundaries of District 9.
Whoever wins a Republican primary in GOP-leaning District 6 is likely to easily win the general election -- and elections to come -- so it's a much more attractive seat for Republican candidates than District 6, which is fairly evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.
Check out Sinema's campaign website here.
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