Political polarization is a major factor underpinning Trump’s attempts to bulldoze our democratic institutions. Sinema’s belief is that by keeping the filibuster, we can pass more bipartisan legislation like her infrastructure bill and depolarize our politics.

Arizona Democrats make clear in their precursor resolution, passed in October, that they more than just disagree with Sinema’s view. They blasted her for “doubling down on her factually contrary ‘we need bipartisanship’ argument for keeping the filibuster.” Yet soon after their resolution, Sinema’s infrastructure bill made it to Biden’s desk on a bipartisan vote, and for a brief moment, it seemed like Washington was working again. Only when the Democrats failed to pass their Build Back Better and voting rights bills on party-line votes did Washington appear to devolve into a dysfunctional state.

It may well end up the case that Sinema has angered too many Democrats to survive a 2024 primary. But should Arizona Democratic Party officials be trying so hard to make it so, without having any idea if a challenger would have a better shot of keeping the seat, in what is still a closely divided state?