Kyrsten Sinema is the senior Senator from the state of Arizona. She has become a controversial figure due to the fact that she does not always vote along party lines. In fact, she and fellow Democrat Joe Manchin (D-WV) have stood against their own party concerning the Build Back Better bill. Ironically, Sinema was once considered quite progressive in her stances, but her voting record is quite moderate.
| Celebrated Name: | Kyrsten Sinema |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Kyrsten Lea Sinema |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 45 |
| Birthdate: | July 12, 1976 |
| Birthplace: | Tucson, AZ |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft. 9 in. |
| Weight: | 139 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Bisexual |
| Marital Status: | Divorced |
| Wife/Spouse | formerly married to Blake Dain. |
| Children/Kids: | no children. |
| Dating/Boyfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Kyrsten Sinema Gay? | Ms. Sinema has said publicly that she is bisexual. |
| Highest Political Office: | United States Congress |
| Profession: | Politician, social worker, attorney |
| Colleges Attended: | Brigham Young, Arizona State University |
| Degrees: | Bachelor of Arts (degree concentration not disclosed); Master of Social Work (Arizona State University); Juris Doctor (Arizona State University College of Law) |
| Salary: | $174,000 |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $1 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Kyrsten Sinema’s early life was not idyllic. Her parents, Dan and Marilyn Wiley Sinema, welcomed Kyrsten into the world on July 12, 1976. Kyrsten had one brother and one sister. Sinema’s biological parents would later divorce, and Kyrsten, who is typically very private, has shared a few details about her childhood after this event.
Although Sinema was born in Tucson, after her parents’ divorce, she and her siblings moved to Florida with their mother and stepfather. Sinema has shared that her stepfather lost her job and that the bank foreclosed on their home. Sinema claims that for at least three years during this time, she and her family lived in an abandoned convenience store. Sinema claims that the family had no electricity or no running water.
Sinema’s mother and her stepdad have attempted to prove – by filing papers in court – that the family was not without these essentials. However, Sinema stands by her claims.
Sinema would still manage to overcome her family’s economic situation. She graduated early from high school in the Florida town where the family lived, DeFuniak Springs. She was only sixteen at the time. As she had been raised in the Mormon faith growing up, Sinema decided to attend Brigham Young University. She would complete her undergraduate studies within two years, and she returned to Arizona at that time.
Sinema achieved a Master’s degree in Social Work from Arizona State University. She would also enroll in the University’s law school, and she obtained a Juris Doctor. Sinema also has a Doctorate in justice studies.
Personal Life
Little is known about Sinema’s personal life, at least other than the information she shared about her upbringing.
Sinema was married to a classmate at Brigham Young, Blake Dain. They divorced quietly; Sinema has kept much of this out of public spotlight.
Sinema has no children.
Age, Height, and Weight
Kyrsten Sinema is 45 years of age. She is 5′ 8″ and she weighs approximately 139 pounds.
Net Worth
Kyrsten Sinema’s net worth has been estimated to be $1 million in 2022. She earns a yearly salary as a United States senator of $174,000.
Career Outside of Politics
Kyrsten Sinema has a law degree and a master’s degree in social work. Prior to entering politics, Sinema worked as an adjunct professor at Arizona State University. Sinema also taught some classes at Arizona Summit Law School.
Career in Politics
Sinema was a member of the Arizona Green Party prior to her switching to the Democratic party. The Green Party is said to be a “left-wing” political party focusing on “eco-socialism.” During this time, Sinema put efforts into eliminating the death penalty. She also organized protests against the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Sinema would change her party affiliation in 2004. Sinema has also claimed to be and ran as an independent party candidate.
Throughout her political career, Sinema has often appeared to be more progressive than moderate. She worked on the Ralph Nader presidential campaign in 2000 – a candidate who has promoted environmentalism. (NOTE: Nader was a Green party member between 1996 and 2000.)
During her early years in politics, Sinema was outspoken about her opposition to the World Trade Organization as well as the World Bank. She was also against the implementation of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Sinema’s personal political career began in the state legislature of Arizona. She initially ran for a seat in the state House of Representatives in 2002, while still a member of the Arizona Green Party. Her campaign was unsuccessful, but Sinema did not give up. By 2004, she was a member of the Democratic Party, and she won a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives. Sinema ran three more times for the same seat, winning each time. One of the honors that Sinema received during her time in the Arizona House of Representatives was to serve an the Assistant Minority Leader for the Democratic Caucus. Sinema ran for and successfully won a seat in the Arizona Senate in 2010.
Sinema is openly bisexual, the first woman in the United States Senate to do so. Much of her political work while she was a state legislator for Arizona had to do with legislation that would have affected those in the LGBTQ community. One such proposal was Proposition 107, which would have banned same-sex marriages as well as civil unions in the state. Another piece of legislation which Sinema worked against was Proposition 102, which was intended to ban same-sex marriage in Arizona.
Sinema was invited by then-President Barack Obama to be a part of the White House Health Reform Task Force. This group would help to build the framework behind the Affordable Care Act.
Sinema ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2012. She ran for re-election to the House the very next year. It was 2016 before she would run again.
While Sinema was a Representative, she became a part of the Blue Dog Coalition as well as the Problem Solvers Caucus. Both of these groups are considered bipartisan, which was a shift in policy for the formerly progressive Sinema.
Sinema was on the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institution as well as the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations while a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2017, Sinema announced she would run for a seat in the United States Senate. She defeated Republican Martha McSally.
Sinema has always been an independent when making decisions about how she votes in Congress. While most Democrats voted against the Trump nominee for the Supreme Court, Kyrsten Sinema said that she wished to interview Brett Kavanaugh further and read his personal papers before she decided how to vote.
She publicly said in 2018 that she would not vote for Senator Chuck Schumer for Minority Leader of the Senate upon her election. At the time, she said the Democratic Party needed “growth and change.”
Sinema also rarely brought up or said much in regard to then-President Trump, who was fair game in anyone else’s campaign. Many remarked on how moderate Sinema seemed to be, especially when considering her past. It should be noted, however, that Sinema voted to impeach Trump both times President Trump was brought up on said charges.
Sinema is the first woman to represent Arizona in the United States Senate.
Sinema is also noted as a non-theist. She was sworn in to her office using a copy of the Constitution of the United States as well as a copy of Arizona’s state constitution.
Sinema’s committee assignments in the U.S. Senate include the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Special Committee on Aging.
Sinema has heralded the most attention to her career in the last six months. Sinema was one of two Democratic senators who refused to vote along with the party concerning the Build Back Better bill. While Joe Manchin (D-WV) was more apt to speak with reporters regarding his stance on the bill, Sinema quietly let it be known that she did not agree with the precepts of the bill and would not be voting for it.
As a result, Sinema and Manchin were both harassed regularly. Sinema was followed into a restroom on Capitol Hill, where the confrontation was filmed by those harassing her. Sinema was also harassed as she officiated a wedding in her home state of Arizona just a few weeks later.
Democrats were also expecting Sinema to vote with them on changing procedures in the Senate in order to pass two voting bills through that chamber of Congress. Sinema announced on the floor of the Senate that while there were some measures she supported in the bill, she would not vote to change procedures regarding the filibuster in the Senate.
