U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said goodbye to her colleagues in the chamber on Wednesday.
The ex-Democrat, who left the party in December 2022, took jabs at both political parties on her way out and stressed the importance of compromise in government to allow “reasonable solutions” to move forward.” The independent lawmaker has been one of the most notable defenders of the filibuster.
“In recent history, both parties have wrestled with the importance of norms and rules, and both parties have viewed these norms and rules as outdated, constraining, or simply obstacles to their short-term victories,” Sinema told the chamber.
“Many now blame these guardrails for blocking critical progress,” she added.
Some lawmakers lauded praises onto the senator, including Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who referred to them as “best friends,” according to Semafor.
Sinema announced her decision not to opt for a re-election campaign in March 2022, which set up a battle between Democratic Sen.-elect Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake. Gallego defeated Lake by over 80,000 votes, and the former Republican nominee is now Trump’s hopeful to run Voice of America, an international newsroom operated by the federal government.
