2024 Senate retirement watch: Bernie Sanders and Kyrsten Sinema
by Emily Jacobs, Congressional Reporter
December 30, 2023 06:00 AM
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) are the last remaining incumbents up for reelection this cycle who will enter 2024 without announcing if they plan to run.
The Democrats control the Senate by a 51-49 margin. Republicans only have 10 incumbents up for reelection this cycle, while Democrats have 23, including Sanders and Sinema, both independents who caucus with the Democrats.
Sanders has remained evasive about his 2024 plans, telling reporters who ask in the Capitol that such questions are a distraction from the work he’s doing. The independent senator represents deep-blue Vermont, where the filing deadline is not until next August, giving him ample time to make a decision.
In the meantime, Sanders is focused on leading the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, a role that allows him to oversee efforts to boost workers rights and expand healthcare access. Both issues were top focuses of Sanders’s two presidential campaigns.
Sanders has been working in his capacity as HELP chairman with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on a drug pricing reform bill, which is expected to be brought forward sometime early next year. The deal is believed to feature several measures, including reforms to how pharmacy benefit managers operate.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/2024-senate-retirement-watch-bernie-sanders-kyrsten-sinema
