A former Democratic senator who already walked away from the party is now reportedly moving even farther into Republican territory — and doing it in one of the most competitive House races in America.

Former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has told business and political leaders in the state that she voted for Trump-endorsed Republican Jay Feely in the GOP primary, according to a new report.

And she may not be finished.

Axios reported that Sinema has described Feely as a “commonsense” candidate and a “fiscal conservative” during several private conversations over the past month. Sources who heard the remarks said Sinema has also indicated that she is likely to vote for him again in the November 3 general election.

Sinema reportedly believes Feely is the best candidate to confront Arizona’s water problems, including potential cutbacks to the state’s share of the Colorado River.

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Sinema has not issued a formal public endorsement. Even so, voting for Feely in the Republican primary, praising him to influential Arizonans and signaling another vote in November amounts to considerably more than casual bipartisan politeness.

The timing is no small matter.

Feely is facing Democrat Amish Shah for the open seat in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Scottsdale and parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Republican Rep. David Schweikert is vacating the seat to run for governor.

The Associated Press described the contest as one that could help determine control of the House. It confirmed that Feely won the Republican nomination with President Donald Trump’s backing.

Shah, an emergency physician and former state lawmaker, previously challenged Schweikert in 2024. He returned for another run and won a crowded Democratic primary despite the national party organization supporting one of his rivals.

The candidates also share an unusual history from professional football: Feely kicked for the New York Jets while Shah worked as a doctor on the team’s sideline. They are now opponents in an open-seat race that could influence which party controls the House.

Feely has sought to present the race as a stark choice between the Trump agenda and a Democratic Party he says has moved sharply left.

The district’s recent voting history explains why Sinema’s support could matter.

Cook notes that Trump carried the district by roughly three points in 2024 after Joe Biden won it by about 1.5 points in 2020. Cook currently rates the open-seat contest “Lean Democrat,” putting Feely in a difficult but plainly competitive race.

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Sinema could give him a validator with a very different political résumé.

She was elected to the House as a Democrat in 2012 and won a Senate seat in 2018. During the Biden administration, however, she repeatedly frustrated progressive activists by defending the Senate filibuster and resisting parts of the party’s tax-and-spending agenda.

Sinema left the Democratic Party in December 2022 and became an independent. She continued to caucus with Democrats, declined to seek reelection in 2024 and left the Senate in January 2025.

Now, less than four years after leaving the party, she is reportedly helping a Republican win one of the most closely watched House races in the country.

The report spread quickly on the final Saturday before Election Day, injecting another unpredictable element into an already close contest.

Sinema’s reported move neither makes her a Republican nor guarantees Feely a victory. It does, however, reveal how far her political journey has traveled — from Democratic Senate trailblazer to an independent now quietly putting her weight behind a Trump-endorsed Republican.

In a race that could come down to a narrow slice of Arizona’s independent-minded voters, that is one development neither campaign can afford to ignore.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

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