The most influential Democrat you never hear from – POLITICO

Nikki Haley enjoyed the MAGA glow while avoiding Trump's brash brand of politics. But in the aftermath of the Capitol insurrection, that position is becoming less and less tenable.

When Vice President Kamala Harris appeared in Manchins home state on TV pushing the coronavirus relief bill, Manchin retorted: Thats not a way of working together. Sinema was similarly unhappy, according to people that spoke with her afterward.

She decided to deal with it privately. She explained that people in her state don't really want me to spend my time weighing in on controversies or palace intrigue. They don't care about that. And attempts at trying to force Sinemas hand will not go anywhere, she insists.

Its not effective to pressure me on anything. Because I am a thoughtful person who takes a lot of time, deliberatively, to make decisions, Sinema said. Once I've made a decision, I feel very comfortable with it. And it doesn't matter what other people think.

Already there are progressive groups itching to send her a primary challenger in 2024, citing her reluctance to gut the filibuster and for voting with Republicans on things like fossil-fuel regulations, barring stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants and approving some of Trumps nominees. But Sinema also voted to remove Trump last year and last week helped advance party-line budget reconciliation efforts despite her laser focus on bringing in Republican support.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) has known Sinema since she was a state legislator. He isnt surprised at the way she wields her influence as a U.S. senator given how hard she had to fight to be relevant in an Arizona legislature where Democrats werent in the minority, they were in the super-minority.

She knows her own mind. And I think shes someone who has an understandably self-confident assessment of her state and her place in it, her states place in our country and her role in her caucus, Coons said.

As one of a handful of moderates in a caucus that may need lockstep unity to move Bidens agenda, theres plenty of political pressure on Sinema even if she chooses to ignore it. She and Manchin may have to be the deciding votes on Neera Tanden, Bidens nominee to be White House budget chief and perhaps the toughest confirmation the new president will have to steer through the Senate in his first 100 days.

Tanden has little GOP support after her Twitter attacks on Republicans. But Sinema questioned her on policy during her hearing and has not yet done anything to indicate she might tank Tanden's nomination. She said shed also spoken to Tanden privately but declined to divulge where she is leaning: I dont preview where I am on votes. Ever.

Colleagues chalk that up to Sinemas contemplative nature. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), another GOP ally of Sinemas thats worked with her on family leave policy, said he learned a lot about her in late December as Congress struggled to clinch its last coronavirus bill. When Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sparred over Toomeys effort to restrict some of the Federal Reserves lending programs, Kyrsten is sitting there listening, just listening, Cassidy recalled.

And finally she says: Theyre talking past each other but theyre saying the same thing, Cassidy said. She almost brokered that by just listening.

True to form, Sinema seems more interested in listening than opining at length on the issues of the day. She shuts down a question about how her views play with fellow Democrats: Popularity is not my concern.

During her Senate run, Sinema was a skeptic of Schumers leadership style, but shes not delivering a verdict on his stewardship of the caucus: You should ask Schumer how hes doing as majority leader. Even an innocuous question about her partys direction is met with a brick wall: I know this isnt going to surprise you. I just don't talk about internal stuff publicly.

And thats just fine with Democrats these days, who sense that Sinema is a team player regardless of her unique views. Just listen to her talk about passing coronavirus relief on what may be a party-line vote, and she sounds a bit like Biden: disappointed that Republicans arent yet on board, but confident its the right thing to do.

Bipartisanship is always my first choice, she said. I also want to make sure that we're getting stuff done for Arizonans. They need help and I don't want to see a process that gets bogged down in petty partisanship, like you did last year for much of the year.

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The most influential Democrat you never hear from - POLITICO