“We’ve tried everything in Arizona,” said Matthew Marquez, an organizer for the Arizona Working Families Party, a left-wing third party often aligned with Democrats. “The next step is, what other option do we have, and that is setting up and being involved in a primary.”

“The feeling right now is, we have a few years to plan and get everything ready and have the right candidate who will do their job,” Marquez said.

Some activist groups are already trying to recruit candidates to unseat her in the 2024 primary. One such group, “Run Ruben Run,” has dedicated itself to recruiting Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) for the task. The four-term Democrat has rebuffed those calls but has not ruled out running.

But other Arizona progressives believe that threatening Sinema over an election three years away could yield the short-term impact on her positions that they’ve so far struggled to achieve.