Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser.

Hi Friend,

As I was crafting this week’s newsletter Friday morning, news broke publicly that Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, one of No Labels’ staunchest allies in Congress, has changed her party registration from Democrat to independent. 

While much of official Washington seems stunned by the news, we are not. Senator Sinema’s latest step is one with the courage, vision, and out-of-the-box thinking she has always displayed. In some ways, this is 2022’s most “No Labels” moment, because in both symbolism and substance, Senator Sinema is putting country and people over party and partisanship. 

As she wrote in an op-ed article on the website of the main Arizona newspaper about the people of her state (and herself), “We don’t line up to do what we’re told, automatically subscribe to whatever positions the national political parties dictate or view every issue through labels that divide us.” 

Over the last few years, Senator Sinema has leveraged her independence and belief in the vast benefits of two-party solutions to be a central player in bipartisan agreements on issues such as infrastructure, gun safety, same-sex marriage, to the CHIPS and Science Act. 

We are all so proud of what Senator Sinema has done. We know you are too. 

Please express your support for this bold move by signing our petition here.

We know the extremes of both parties don’t like independent, maverick moves like this, the new politics of change and of the future. 

That is what makes it so important that we show Senator Sinema and the nation that we have her back. 

You can hear Senator Sinema in her own words here:

And please read the full article the Senator wrote, elegantly explaining her decision here.  

This is some of what she said: 

"There’s a disconnect between what everyday Americans want and deserve from our politics, and what political parties are offering. …  

“Arizonans expect our leaders to … set aside political games, work together, make progress and then get out of the way so we can build better lives for ourselves and our families… 

“….Everyday Americans are increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years. Pressures in both parties pull leaders to the edges, allowing the loudest, most extreme voices to determine their respective parties’ priorities and expecting the rest of us to fall in line.  

“In catering to the fringes, neither party has demonstrated much tolerance for diversity of thought. Bipartisan compromise is seen as a rarely acceptable last resort, rather than the best way to achieve lasting progress. Payback against the opposition party has replaced thoughtful legislating.  

“Americans are told that we have only two choices – Democrat or Republican – and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes.  

“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different. I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political drama. … 

“I work proudly with senators in both parties who have similarly rejected political extremes and forged consensus, helping drain some of the poison from today’s politics.” 

Every time I read those words (and I’ve already read them through several times!), I simultaneously smile and get chills.   

This is an extraordinary moment for our movement, for one of our great leaders, and for defining the political debate for the period ahead. 

Again, please sign our petition to express your support for Senator Sinema. 

Margaret White 
Co-executive Director