Thread by @dschapira

Ok, I’ve had it. I remained silent about Kyrsten Sinema for 10 years, but it’s time to break the silence.

I always had a distaste for candidates who criticize their opponents after they lose an election. It comes off as sour grapes even if it’s well-founded. But…(1/10)

I need to scratch an “I told you so” itch. For those who weren’t around or don’t remember, after serving in the AZ legislature together for five years, Kyrsten moved into my district in 2012 to run for Congress in a Dem primary against @AndreiCherny and me.

Fair to say…(2/10)

Kyrsten and I were friends before she jumped into the AZ9 race. We spoke after her decision and committed we would not “go negative” against each other in the campaign. We held a press conference and released a joint statement saying so.

She had nothing to lose because…(3/10)

She was the front-runner in early polling w/ her firebrand reputation in progressive circles. Everyone figured I’d have to bring her down with some dirt to pull ahead. But I kept my promise and ran a clean campaign.

Things changed when my grassroots campaign pulled ahead…(4/10)

In the final months of the race, Kyrsten’s campaign spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on mail to Democratic primary voters with 2 attacks against me:

1. She said I supported John McCain for President over Obama.

2. She said I supported private-school vouchers.

So…(5/10)

Both claims were ridiculous, and she knew it. I interned for McCain when I was in college, but I was an OG @BarackObama supporter. I INTRODUCED Kyrsten to then-Senator Obama at an event in AZ and begged her to endorse him after her candidate dropped out.

On vouchers…(6/10)

I led a task force to investigate private-school vouchers and was the clearest voice against school privatization throughout our time together in the legislature. I later worked with @arizona_sos to stop voucher expansion and now work to oppose privatization outside of AZ. (7/10)

Kyrsten broke a promise to me and AZ voters to run a clean campaign. She lied about a friend to win an election. She later apologized and told me she had to do it or she would have lost, as if that made it okay.

And that brings me to the moral of this story…(8/10)

Kyrsten is the worst kind of hypocrite. Believe it or not, her core beliefs align with the progressive values of @TheDemocrats, BUT there is nothing she won’t say or do to increase her notoriety or importance. She will abandon values and friendships to climb to the top. (9/10)

As she leaves the political party and the voters who gave her political life, people will say she is crazy or stupid, but those people don’t know her. She is level-headed and brilliant, but she will stop at nothing and step on anyone to get what she wants.

(10/10)

P.S. Call it sour grapes, but it’s all true.