With the recent announcement by Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema that she has not decided to seek re-election next year, the battle for her seat is now in a state of uncertainty.
Arch-liberal Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego declared for the Senate when Sinema was still a Democrat and under fire from left-wing groups and organized labor for her steadfast support of maintaining the filibuster in the Senate.
Five-termer Gallego, a decorated U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Iraq, is considered a cinch for the Democratic nomination for Sinema's seat next year.
Most Republican activists in the Grand Canyon State would love to see former two-term Gov. Doug Ducey run for the Senate. But the conservative Ducey has been completely mum about his political plans next year.
For that matter, so has defeated gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake. Since November of last year, onetime TV newscaster and Trump Republican Lake has been in court contesting her defeat by 17,000 votes out of more than 1,650,000 cast.
But Lake has also met with several Republican senators as well as the National Republican Senatorial Committee and is thought more likely to run than not in '24.
So far, the only Republican announced for Sinema's seat is Pimal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. A stalwart conservative and a Mormon, Lamb has appeared in numerous cable TV forums and on controversial forums such as the Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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