Imagine my surprise when I woke up on this fine Friday morning to an announcement from Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona that she has left the Democratic Party.

There’s no hyperbole or twisting of words here. The headline is not clickbait. She actually left the Democratic Party and is now a registered Independent. That’s a move some have speculated she’d make for years given her disagreements with leadership over the filibuster and the fact that the far-left hate her with the fire of a thousand suns. I never thought she’d do it, but here we are.

Alternate headline: Once again, Sinema shows Sen. Joe Manchin to be a coward.

In a natural extension of my service since I was first elected to Congress, I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington and formally registering as an Arizona Independent. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/jUQHAeuxym

— Kyrsten Sinema (@kyrstensinema) December 9, 2022

Sinema explained her move in an editorial for The Arizona Republic, her state’s largest newspaper. In it, she makes it clear her move isn’t ambiguous. She’s no longer a Democrat and has officially registered as an Independent, declaring that partisans do not own the US Senate seat she holds and that she will continue to seek bi-partisan successes (or at least what she defines as such). Sinema also makes it pretty clear she wasn’t happy with her party’s direction and the harassment she’s received for doing what she thinks is right vs. what the far-left wants.

Naturally, that means the same far-left is losing its mind right now. If you click the above tweet, the replies are filled with venomous hate, which I’m sure will do nothing but cement her decision. These people are lunatics, and had they just left Sinema alone, she’d probably still be a Democrat right now. Instead, they followed her into bathrooms and called her a traitor. How’s that worked out?

You are truly the most vile person. You have betrayed all of those folks in Arizona that gave you power. You should just resign.

— djhshopgirl (@Hjdshopgirl) December 9, 2022

Returning to my mention of Manchin, it’s just astonishing how much of a spineless wimp he is. He’s been harassed as much as Sinema and he hails from a deep red state. Yet, he’s still bowing before Joe Biden, betraying his voters, and signing off on bad bills because he doesn’t have the guts to just leave the Democratic Party as well. Maybe this gives him the green light? But I think he’s going down with the ship in 2024, possibly not running for re-election.

With all that said, some will hand-wave this move off because Sinema is still likely to caucus with the Democratic Party. I think that’s a misread (it’s also not certain). This is incredibly important no matter what she decides on that front because it makes it clear that she’s going to hold her ground on the filibuster. That will mitigate a ton of long-lasting, nation-destroying damage that could otherwise be done between now and early 2025, at which point I’d hope Republicans haven’t blown yet another election and will be taking power.

Lastly, even as a conservative, I do think this is good for the country. Sinema doesn’t believe the things I believe most of the time, but there’s something refreshing about a person being willing to say “enough” to their own party, charting their own path forward. As to what that means for her re-election chances in 2024, I don’t know.