Who is Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema?
SENATOR Kyrsten Sinema has represented the state of Arizona for a short period of time but has made a name for herself.
The 44-year-old Democratic senator went to Brigham Young University in Utah and then Arizona State University.
After graduating, Sinema ''worked with students and families in Arizona who faced some of the same challenges she did,'' her bio said.
She ran for the Arizona State House of Representatives in 2004 and won. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 - representing Arizona's 9th district.
In 2018, Sinema became the first women ever in the state'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 is Kyrsten Sinema trending?
In an October 2, 2021 episode of Saturday Night Live, Sinema was parodied by Cecily Strong. The comedian described Sinema as "a wine-drinking bisexual triathlete," and mentioned she is motivated by "chaos".
Throughout the year, a dance crew by the name of Moderate Pixie Dream Girls has dressed up as Sinema to protest the senator’s opposition to increasing the minimum wage and her resistance to immigration reform.
A group has reportedly formed to raise money for a potential Democratic challenger in 2024.
On March 5, 2021, Sinema voted against the proposal to leave raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in the Covid-19 relief bill.
A video of Sinema giving the proposal a thumbs down made the rounds on Twitter.
Sinema received backlash on social media for her vote.
Sinema took to Twitter to explain why she voted no.
“I understand what it is like to face tough choices while working to meet your family's most basic needs," Sinema said. "I also know the difference better wages can make, which is why I helped lead Arizona's effort to pass an indexed minimum wage in 2006, and strongly supported the voter-approved state minimum wage increase in 2016.
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"No person who works full time should live in poverty. Senators in both parties have shown support for raising the federal minimum wage and the Senate should hold an open debate and amendment process on raising the minimum wage, separate from the COVID-focused reconciliation bill."
It was reported at the time of the vote that Sinema brought a cake to the Senate floor. However, she retweeted reports that she brought the cake for the Senate floor staff who worked long hours.