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.

"I've decided to run for Congress because we need to wake up Washington!" Sinema posted on her Facebook page about an hour ago. "I will fight for the forgotten middle class and stand up to a system that is rigged against them."

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.

Also rumored to be considering a run for the seat is Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny.

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.

• Congressional Record