Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be moving even farther away from the Democratic Party, this time by reportedly supporting Republican Jay Feely in a closely watched Arizona House race. According to Axios, Sinema has told business and political leaders that she voted for Feely in the Republican primary and may vote for him again in the November 3 general election.
Sinema has reportedly described Feely as a “commonsense” candidate and a “fiscal conservative” during private conversations over the past month. She has not issued a formal public endorsement, but voting in his primary, praising him to influential Arizonans and signaling support for November is a little more substantial than the usual Washington routine of smiling politely while saying almost nothing.
Feely is running against Democrat Amish Shah for the open seat in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Scottsdale and parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Republican Rep. David Schweikert is leaving the seat to run for governor, creating a contest that the Associated Press described as potentially important in determining control of the House.
President Trump backed Feely during the Republican primary, and Feely has presented the race as a choice between the Trump agenda and what he argues is a Democratic Party that has moved sharply to the left. Sinema’s reported support gives Feely a political validator who once ran as a Democrat, served in the Senate and later broke with progressive activists on several major issues.
Water policy is reportedly a major reason for Sinema’s support. She believes Feely is the best candidate to address Arizona’s water challenges, including possible cutbacks to the state’s share of the Colorado River. In a state where water politics can be more serious than most campaign slogans, that issue could carry plenty of weight.
The district is competitive by recent voting standards. Cook reports that President Trump carried it by roughly three points in 2024, after Joe Biden won it by about 1.5 points in 2020. Cook currently rates the open-seat contest “Lean Democrat,” leaving Feely with a difficult race but a real opportunity.
Sinema’s political history makes the reported move especially notable. She was elected to the House as a Democrat in 2012 and won a Senate seat in 2018. During the Biden administration, she frustrated progressive activists by defending the Senate filibuster and resisting parts of the party’s tax-and-spending agenda.
She left the Democratic Party in December 2022 and became an independent while continuing to caucus with Democrats. Sinema declined to seek reelection in 2024 and left the Senate in January 2025. Now, less than four years after leaving the party, she is reportedly helping a Republican compete for one of the country’s most closely watched House seats.
Feely and Shah also have an unusual professional connection. Feely kicked for the New York Jets, while Shah worked as a doctor on the team’s sideline. They are now competing for Congress, because apparently football rivalries were not enough drama for one election cycle.
Sinema’s reported support does not make her a Republican, and it does not guarantee Feely a victory. It does, however, add another unpredictable factor to a race that could influence control of the House and test whether Arizona’s recent political shifts are becoming a lasting trend.
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