Sinema Quits the Democrats Days After Biden's Praise; Jean-Pierre: Biden Regrets It 'Not at All' (December 9, 2022)

Days after President Joe Biden praised Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, she quit the Democratic Party. At the White House briefing that afternoon, a reporter asked whether the president regretted calling her “a tremendous advocate for the people of Arizona.” Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s answer: “Not at all.”

The video above shows the exchange from the Dec. 9, 2022, briefing, the day Sinema announced she was registering as an independent. Quotes are from the official briefing transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

”Does He Regret Making That Statement?”

The reporter laid out the timeline. “Senator Sinema didn’t travel with the President earlier this week to Arizona. So, do you know when the last time that they spoke was?” [1]

“I don’t have — I don’t have a — the last time that they spoke. So, don’t have anything to share with you at this time on that piece,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

“And while he was in Arizona, he called her, quote, ‘a tremendous advocate for the people of Arizona and a leader in so many issues important to the state.’ End quote. Does he regret making that statement, which could —”

“Not at all,” Jean-Pierre said.

”— be viewed as an endorsement, given today’s news?” [1]

“I mean, he says this about many congressional members when he visits a state,” Jean-Pierre answered. “He thanks them for the passport to their state, and he actually talks about the work that he’s done with that congressperson or senator in Washington, D.C. That is very, very common” [1].

“93 Percent of the Time”

Sinema’s move came right after Democrats thought they had cushioned their majority. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., had just won his runoff, and a reporter reminded Jean-Pierre that two days earlier she had said Warnock’s win gave the White House “a little bit more breathing room.” Did Sinema’s switch take that away? [1]

“The way that we see it, it does not change the majority, or it doesn’t change the complexion of what our Democratic majority is going to look like in the Senate,” Jean-Pierre said [1].

Asked where that confidence came from, she pointed to the record. “Because she has voted with the President 93 percent of the time, because she has worked with us on key priorities of this administration,” she said, listing the bipartisan infrastructure law and the CHIPS and Science Act [1].

”No, Not at All”

A reporter asked whether the week’s events had changed the White House’s planning for the next Congress, “and has — was that shifted at all by what happened this morning?” [1]

“No, not at all,” Jean-Pierre said. “You have someone, Senator Sinema, who has, you know, voted with the President 93 percent of the time on key, important, historic pieces of legislation. And I listed them out earlier. I’m not going to bore you by doing that again” [1].

“We understand why she would want to register as an independent, but we do not see the Democratic majority changing with this decision that she’s made,” she added [1].

It was the third time in one briefing that she said nothing had changed. A reporter had also asked how Sinema’s decision would affect the way the White House worked with her. Jean-Pierre answered with the CHIPS and Science Act and the bipartisan infrastructure law: “Those are pieces of legislation — there are other — there’s other long list of other things that she’s worked with us on — that’s 93 percent. And so we think that partnership will continue” [1].

”We Do Not Discuss Private Conversations”

Did the White House get a heads-up? “As always, we do not discuss private conversations that we have with members of Congress,” Jean-Pierre said. Earlier, she had called Sinema “a key partner on some of the most historic pieces of legislation” of the administration, from the American Rescue Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act, and said, “We understand her decision to register as an independent in Arizona” [1].

“But that suggests that a private conversation did occur,” one reporter noted. “Mary, I’m just not going to go into details on this,” Jean-Pierre said, laughing [1].

”Cannot Speak to 2024”

Would Biden back Sinema in 2024? “So, cannot speak to 2024. I’m covered by the Hatch Act,” Jean-Pierre said. “As far as I understand it, she hasn’t announced her plans for 2024 yet” [1].

Asked whether she expected Sinema to caucus with Democrats, Jean-Pierre repeated the line: “We don’t see a change in the Democratic majority” [1].

The Same Day: Griner and Bout

The Sinema questions shared the briefing with the fallout from the day before, when the administration traded Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for basketball star Brittney Griner. Asked whether the deal was fair, Jean-Pierre said the choice the Russians offered “was either Brittney or no one” [1]. HYGO News covered the questions about that swap in its page on Peter Doocy’s Dec. 8 exchange.

By the Numbers

93%: how often Sinema voted with Biden, according to Jean-Pierre [1].
1,676,335 to 1,595,761: Democrat Ruben Gallego’s margin over Republican Kari Lake in Arizona’s 2024 Senate race, according to the House Clerk’s official results [2].
1,770,242 to 1,582,860: the Republican and Democratic presidential electors’ totals in Arizona in 2024, a Trump win [2].

What Happened Next

Sinema’s seat changed hands. When Arizona voted on her seat in November 2024, the official results show Democrat Ruben Gallego beating Republican Kari Lake, 1,676,335 votes to 1,595,761, and Sinema was not among the candidates [2].

Trump carried Arizona. The same official results show Republican electors winning the state with 1,770,242 votes to the Democrats’ 1,582,860 [2].

More of Jean-Pierre’s answers, checked against the record, are on HYGO News’ Karine Jean-Pierre record page.