KNOWN as an independent, Kyrsten Sinema has several political causes she takes on.
After one term as Arizona Senator, Sinema announced she would not run for re-election in 2024.
Who is Kyrsten Sinema?
Born on July 12, 1976, Kyrsten Sinema is an American politician from Tucson, Arizona.
She received her education at Brigham Young University in Utah, as well as Arizona State University.
After graduating, Sinema worked to help families in Arizona who “faced some of the same challenges she did,” according to her official bio.
She was a social worker and defense attorney in the state and also taught at her alma mater.
Sinema ran for the Arizona State House of Representatives in 2004 and won.
She was later elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2012, representing Arizona’s 9th district.
In 2018, Sinema became the first woman in Arizona’s history to represent the state in the Senate – and the first Democrat elected to the seat since the 1980s.
She also made history by becoming the first openly bisexual member of the Senate.
Why isn’t Krysten Sinema running for re-election?
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Krysten Sinema announced she would not run for re-election for her Senate seat.
“Because I choose civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done, I will leave the Senate at the end of this year,” the politician announced via X, formerly known as Twitter.
She continued: “Compromise is a dirty word. We’ve arrived at that crossroad, and we chose anger and division. I believe in my approach, but it’s not what America wants right now.”
Did Krysten Sinema switch parties?
On December 8, 2022, Krysten Sinema revealed her plans to change parties to CNN, saying: “I’ve registered as an Arizona independent. I know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense.
“I’ve never fit neatly into any party box. I’ve never really tried. I don’t want to.”
Sinema explained: “I’m going to still come to work and hopefully serve on the same committees I’ve been serving on and continue to work well with my colleagues at both political parties.”