Kelly declines to say whether he'll back fellow Arizona Sen. Sinema for reelection as independent

Kelly previously said that political party "doesn't matter" in regards to his endorsements.

Published: March 20, 2023 9:10am

Updated: March 20, 2023 9:45am

Sen. Mark Kelly is declining to say whether he'll back the 2024 reelection bid of fellow Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema, a fellow Democrat until she recently became an independent.

"I'm not going to get ahead of Sen. Sinema. She hasn't made an announcement," Kelly said Sunday on CNN. "What she has said is, she doesn't want to be focused on politics right now."

Kelly gave a similar answer earlier this month during an interview with local radio station KTAR News when he said that political party "doesn't matter" in regards to his endorsements.

Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December, has not said whether she is running for reelection. However, she could already face at least one possible challenger after Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego launched his 2024 Senate campaign in January.