Kyrsten Sinema
Encyclopedia
Kyrsten Sinema is a Democratic
member of the Arizona State Senate, where she represents the 15th district. She previously served three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives
from January 2005 to January 2011.
to conservative Mormon
parents, Sinema moved to Phoenix in 1995. After graduating from Walton High School in DeFuniak Springs, Florida at the age of 16, she attended Brigham Young University on a Benson Scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 1994. She then attended Arizona State University
where she earned a masters degree in social work in 1999 and then a Juris Doctor
in 2004. She was a social worker in the Washington Elementary School District
before becoming a criminal defense lawyer.
in 2002, as an independent
. She lost the general election by a wide margin to the two Democratic nominees, Ken Clark and Wally Straughn. She ran again in 2004 but this time as a Democrat. She faced incumbent Straughn and David Lujan in the primary election, placing first with Lujan beating Straughn into second. Sinema and Lujan won the general election handily and both took office in January 2005. Sinema, like Lujan, was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. In 2010 she was elected to represent the district in the Arizona Senate
.
In 2006 she chaired Arizona Together, the statewide campaign that defeated Proposition 107, which would have banned the recognition of same-sex marriage
and civil unions in Arizona. In 2008, she also led the campaign against Proposition 102, a narrowed down version of Proposition 107. Proposition 102 was approved by 56% of voters in the general election on November 4, 2008.
A supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Sinema was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
in Denver. In July 2009, she published her first book, entitled Unite and Conquer: How to Build Coalitions That Win and Last.
In 2010 she was picked as one of Time Magazine's
"40 Under 40" saying "In an epic election cycle, a new generation of civic leaders is already at work trying to fix a broken system—and restore faith in the process. Meet the rising stars of American politics".
In June 2011, Sinema said she was considering running for the U.S. House of Representatives
in 2012
.
legislators: Senators Jack Jackson
(D–Window Rock), Paula Aboud
(D–Tucson), Robert Meza
(D–Phoenix) and Representative Matt Heinz
(D–Tucson).
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Arizona State Senate, where she represents the 15th district. She previously served three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
from January 2005 to January 2011.
Early life and career
Born in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to conservative Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
parents, Sinema moved to Phoenix in 1995. After graduating from Walton High School in DeFuniak Springs, Florida at the age of 16, she attended Brigham Young University on a Benson Scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 1994. She then attended Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
where she earned a masters degree in social work in 1999 and then a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 2004. She was a social worker in the Washington Elementary School District
Washington Elementary School District
The Washington Elementary School District provides education for more than 25,300 students in the north central Phoenix and east Glendale areas of Arizona...
before becoming a criminal defense lawyer.
Political career
Sinema first ran for the Arizona House of RepresentativesArizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
in 2002, as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. She lost the general election by a wide margin to the two Democratic nominees, Ken Clark and Wally Straughn. She ran again in 2004 but this time as a Democrat. She faced incumbent Straughn and David Lujan in the primary election, placing first with Lujan beating Straughn into second. Sinema and Lujan won the general election handily and both took office in January 2005. Sinema, like Lujan, was re-elected in 2006 and 2008. In 2010 she was elected to represent the district in the Arizona Senate
Arizona Senate
The Arizona Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members representing an equal amount of constituencies across the state, with each district having average populations of 219,859 . Members serve two-year terms with...
.
In 2006 she chaired Arizona Together, the statewide campaign that defeated Proposition 107, which would have banned the recognition of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
and civil unions in Arizona. In 2008, she also led the campaign against Proposition 102, a narrowed down version of Proposition 107. Proposition 102 was approved by 56% of voters in the general election on November 4, 2008.
A supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, Sinema was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
in Denver. In July 2009, she published her first book, entitled Unite and Conquer: How to Build Coalitions That Win and Last.
In 2010 she was picked as one of Time Magazine's
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
"40 Under 40" saying "In an epic election cycle, a new generation of civic leaders is already at work trying to fix a broken system—and restore faith in the process. Meet the rising stars of American politics".
In June 2011, Sinema said she was considering running for the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 2012
United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2012
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the nine U.S. Representatives from the state, one from each of the state's nine Congressional districts, including the newly created 9th district following the 2010 United States...
.
Personal life
Sinema is openly bisexual and serves alongside four other openly LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
legislators: Senators Jack Jackson
Jack Jackson, Jr.
Jack Jackson, Jr. is an American politician from Arizona. A Democrat, he serves in the Arizona Senate, representing the state's 2nd district in northern Arizona. The district contains part of the city of Flagstaff as well as the Navajo Nation, the Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai and San Juan Southern...
(D–Window Rock), Paula Aboud
Paula Aboud
Paula Aboud is an American politician who is currently a member of the Arizona Senate, representing the 28th District. A Democrat, she serves as the Senate's minority whip.-Early life:...
(D–Tucson), Robert Meza
Robert Meza
Robert Meza is an American politician from Phoenix, Arizona who has served as a member of the Arizona State Senate since January 2011.A Democrat, he represents the reliably Democratic 14th district which covers parts of central and west Phoenix. He was first elected in 2002 and won re-election in...
(D–Phoenix) and Representative Matt Heinz
Matt Heinz
Matthew G. Heinz, commonly known as Matt Heinz, is an American doctor and politician from Tucson, Arizona. A Democrat, he is a member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 29th district. First elected in 2008, he took office on January 12, 2009.Heinz earned a BA in Chemistry from Albion...
(D–Tucson).
External links
- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Official Arizona Senate site
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ) profile
- Follow the Money - Kyrsten Sinema