Kyrsten Sinema

"Sinema" redirects here. For other uses, see Sinema (disambiguation).

Kyrsten Sinema
Sinema in 2023
United States Senator
from Arizona
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Serving with Mark Kelly
Preceded byJeff Flake
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arizona's 9th district
In office
January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byGreg Stanton
Member of the Arizona Senate
from the 15th district
In office
January 10, 2011 – January 3, 2012
Preceded byKen Cheuvront
Succeeded byDavid Lujan
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives
from the 15th district
In office
January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2011
Serving with David Lujan
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born (1976-07-12) July 12, 1976 (age 48)
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (since 2022)
Other political
affiliations
Spouse
Blake Dain
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 1999)​
Education
Signature
WebsiteSenate website
Kyrsten Sinema's voice
Sinema on the retirement of Senator Rob Portman.
Recorded December 8, 2022
  1. ^ Sinema still caucuses with the Democrats to receive committee assignments, but she does not attend or vote in caucus meetings.

Kyrsten Lea Sinema (/ˈkɪərstən ˈsɪnəmə/ KEER-stən SIN-ə-mə; born July 12, 1976)[1] is an American politician and former social worker serving as the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat she has held since 2019. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent in December 2022.[2]

Sinema served three terms as a state representative for the 15th legislative district from 2005 to 2011, one term as the state senator for the 15th legislative district from 2011 to 2012, and three terms as the United States representative for the 9th district from 2013 to 2019. She began her political career in the Arizona Green Party and rose to prominence for her progressive advocacy, supporting causes such as LGBT rights and opposing the war on terror. She left the Green Party to join the Arizona Democratic Party in 2004 and was elected to a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2012. After her election, she joined the New Democrat Coalition, the Blue Dog Coalition and the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, amassing one of the most conservative voting records in the Democratic caucus.[3]

Sinema won the 2018 Senate election to replace the retiring Jeff Flake, defeating Republican nominee Martha McSally. She is the first openly bisexual and the second openly LGBT woman (after Tammy Baldwin) to be elected to the Senate.[4] Sinema is also the first woman elected to the Senate from Arizona[5] and the only religiously unaffiliated member of the Senate.[6] She is one of four independents in the Senate, alongside Bernie Sanders, Angus King, and Joe Manchin, all of whom caucus with the Democrats.

Sinema was considered a key swing vote in the Senate during the 117th Congress, when it was split 50–50 between Democrats and Republicans.[7][8][9][10] On March 5, 2024, she announced she would not seek reelection.[11]

  1. ^ "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema". Legistorm.
  2. ^ Cowan, Richard; Chiacu, Doina (December 9, 2022). "Kyrsten Sinema leaves Democratic Party, adding drama to tight U.S. Senate margin". Reuters. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference polmiddle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, Tim (November 13, 2018). "Kyrsten Sinema makes history as first bisexual member of U.S. Senate". NBC News. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Keneally, Meghan (November 13, 2018). "Meet Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat who was just elected Arizona's first female senator". ABC News. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Nadeem, Reem (January 3, 2023). "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  7. ^ Moore, Mark (August 3, 2022). "Kyrsten Sinema lobbied for vote on Joe Manchin-Chuck Schumer spend deal". New York Post. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  8. ^ Bobic, Igor (August 5, 2022). "Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Agrees To Vote For Inflation Reduction Act". HuffPost. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Thomas, Jake (August 1, 2022). "Kyrsten Sinema, decisive vote on spending bill, targeted in new Arizona ad". Newsweek. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  10. ^ Zeballos-Roig, Joseph (August 5, 2022). "Kyrsten Sinema lingers as a big question mark on the Biden agenda as Senate Democrats dash toward a key vote within days". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Foran, Manu Raju, Clare (March 5, 2024). "Kyrsten Sinema announces she is retiring from the Senate | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved March 5, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)