There’s a lot riding on the fate of the bipartisan border security bill largely forged with the central involvement of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, with its electoral fallout in Arizona among them.
Sinema’s bill is running into stiff political headwinds in the Senate, where several Republicans may be needed by Wednesday just to allow that chamber to consider moving on it. And House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has already declared his opposition to the measure.
For Sinema, I-Ariz., the bill is dominating national attention, at least for a few days. It comes as her plans for a second term remain as publicly vague as they have been since she left the Democratic Party in December 2022 .
Her bill has the support of Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for Sinema’s Senate seat, and the opposition of Republican front-runner Kari Lake. In some ways, it offers a measure of all three on a top issue.
Jessica Taylor, who analyzes Senate and gubernatorial races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said the bill is a strong way for Sinema to cast herself as different from both parties.