Arizona’s senior senator is the most bipartisan Democrat in the U.S. Senate so far in the current congressional term, a new analysis finds.
Nearly three of every five bills that Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has cosponsored have Republican sponsors, say analysts from Quorum Analytics, a firm that tracks congressional action. Her 58% bipartisan cosponsor rate places her atop the heap among Democratic senators.
Her closest competitors in that regard are Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.).
Overall, Sinema ranks third in the full Senate for bipartisanship, trailing Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
Sinema also has the distinction of being one of only two senators to have two measures enacted this year, joining Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.). Sinema sponsored the LEGION Act, which allows more veterans to join American Legion, and a measure that makes it easier for people to refinance VA housing loans.
But Arizona’s other senator is also showing a bipartisan streak: Martha McSally has lent her support to bills sponsored by Democrats. Quorum’s analysis finds that 41% of McSally’s cosponsorships are for Democratic bills. That ranks her No. 6 for bipartisanship among senators facing election in 2020.
McSally has also been the most active freshman senator thus far in the 116th Congress, introducing a total of 25 bills.
Ms. Sinema is an expert fundraiser, and her activities are pretty well outlined in “Tailspin” by Steven Brill.