Kyrsten Sinema facts for kids

Kyrsten Sinema
Quick facts for kids Kyrsten Sinema
United States Senator; from Arizona
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; January 3, 2019; Serving with Mark Kelly
Preceded by	Jeff Flake
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives; from Arizona's 9th district
	In office; January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Greg Stanton
Member of the Arizona Senate; from the 15th district
	In office; January 10, 2011 – January 3, 2012
Preceded by	Ken Cheuvront
Succeeded by	David Lujan
Member of the Arizona House of Representatives; from the 15th district
	In office; January 10, 2005 – January 10, 2011
Preceded by	Wally Straughn; Ken Clark
Succeeded by	Lela Alston; Katie Hobbs
Personal details
Born	Kyrsten Lea Sinema ; July 12, 1976 (age 45); Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political party	Independent (before 2004); Democratic (2004–present)
Education	Brigham Young University (BA); Arizona State University (MSW, JD, PhD)

Kyrsten Lea Sinema ( born July 12, 1976) is an American politician. Sinema is the senior United States Senator from Arizona since January 3, 2019. She was the U.S. Representative for Arizona's 9th congressional district. She was first elected in 2012.

Sinema is a member of the Democratic Party. She served in both chambers of the State Legislature, being elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2004 and the Arizona Senate in 2010.

Sinema has worked for the adoption of the DREAM Act, pro-immigration reforms and supports same-sex marriage. She was the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Congress.

Sinema ran in the United States Senate election in Arizona in 2018 to replace Senator Jeff Flake, who retired from the seat. She won the Democratic nomination in August 2018 and defeated Republican Martha McSally.

Sinema is the first female senator elected in Arizona and the second openly LGBT person ever to serve in the Senate, after Tammy Baldwin.

Images for kids

Sinema in 2009
Sinema at a U.S. Senate campaign event in Phoenix, Arizona, in October 2018
Sinema, then a State Representative, attending a protest at the Arizona State Capitol on the day of the SB 1070's signing