Krysten Sinema For Congress: First Bisexual To Garner House Election
Amid a political race that featured millions of dollars worth of attack ads against her, Krysten Sinema still prevailed as the newest member of Congress on Tuesday, becoming the first open bisexual to do so.
Sinema, a former Arizona state senator, will join at least five openly gay Democrats who currently hold seats in the House. Tammy Baldwin was the first homosexual candidate elected to the Senate.
Sinema spoke to ABC News about her feelings on being historically elected as well as her high hopes for Arizona.
"We've made history, and we're proud of that, but what I am interested in is making history by making things better for the people of Arizona's 9th Congressional District," she stated.
During the race, the 36-year-old initially held a slim lead against Tea Party candidate Vernon Parker, but later pulled ahead and finished with a 6,000-vote margin over her Republican opponent, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
In Arizona's 9th District, Independents actually outnumber both the democrats and Republicans, which made the race tight.
"My own family, my own life has been the struggle of making it to the middle class," Sinema said. "This district is a very young district. We'll always be competitive. Folks will be making decisions on who has the best ideas."
Sinema stated that she would make the trek to Washington D.C. for meetings while getting ready to move into her brand new office in January 2013. She was in New York City on Tuesday for an evening event hosted by Glamour magazine, which payed homage to elected female officials.
"I'm just humbled and excited to start working for the people of Arizona," Sinema said.
The elected democrat had been criticized by her own party as a Tea Party radical who could hinder child development by cutting the federal education department. Only time will tell how she responds to the highly-regarded matter.