Rep. Kyrsten Sinema seven years ago ridiculed as "crazy" the Republican elected officials leading the state at the time, and the anti-illegal immigration legislation that began in Arizona and was being replicated in state Capitols across the nation.
Sinema, then a state senator and now the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, in a 2011 speech told the Texas Stonewall Democrats that all Republicans in Arizona were “crazy” and could not be distinguished from the conservative "tea party" activists whose influence helped lead to legislation that she and others deemed harmful to Arizona.
The video of Sinema's 2011 remarks resurfaced Thursday on social media and was recirculated by allies of Sinema's Republican Senate opponent, Rep. Martha McSally.
In her 2018 statewide race, Sinema has fashioned herself as an independent-minded Democrat who is interesting in working across the aisle. In her 2011 comments, Sinema repeatedly slammed Arizona Republicans — often generating laughs from the audience — with variations of the term "crazy."
