On Tuesday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced she would be retiring later this year at the end of her term. In a video posted to X, Sinema explained that she would not seek reelection because of growing partisanship and dysfunction within the American political system.

The Arizona senator lamented the current approach to politics, criticizing the polarization between Democrats and Republicans. Sinema claims both parties are resorting to extremes, where politicians refuse to work together to tackle America’s most significant issues. She noted her honest ambitions of attempting to fix this issue by defending the Constitution and working to improve the state of the country.

“In 2017 I warned we were approaching a crossroads. Our Democracy was weakened by government dysfunction and the constant calls to extremes by both political parties. I promised I would do my best to fix it, to protect and defend our Constitution, to listen to others without judging to focus on what unites us, and to make Americans lives better. Through listening, understanding and compromise, we delivered tangible results that make America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” Sinema said.

Despite tangible improvements in some areas, the senator noted that Americans were still becoming more radicalized by partisanship. Sinema asserted that neither side of the political aisle is pleased with the solutions presented for many societal issues, as they require some degree of compromise.

“Yet despite modernizing our infrastructure, ensuring clean water, delivering good jobs and safer communities, Americans still choose to retreat farther to their partisan corners. These solutions are considered failures either because they’re too much or not nearly enough. It’s all or nothing, the outcome, less important than beating the other guy. The only political victories that matter these days are symbolic, attacking your opponents on cable news or social media. Compromise is a dirty word,” she continued.

Sinema maintained that she has a much different vision for how American politics should function. However, she explained there is no appetite for such ideals given the current political landscape. As a result, the Arizona senator explained that she would be leaving Congress at the end of the year.

“We’ve arrived at that crossroad. And we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach, but it’s not what America wants right now. I love Arizona, and I am so proud of what we’ve delivered. Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year.” she said.

“I insured Arizona had a voice in Washington, delivering unprecedented resources for Arizona and the West historic drought. Bringing Senators John Cornyn, Chris Murphy and Tom Tillis together to tackle the intractable issue of gun violence. We saved lives and improved our country’s mental health care.
These solutions matter. They make an impact in the lives of everyday Americans. And this is how government should work,” Sinema said. Watch Sen. Sinema’s retirement announcement below.