Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kyrsten Sinema
How Kyrsten Sinema built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Kyrsten Sinema is an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator for Arizona from 2019 to 2025. Initially a Democrat, she became an independent in December 2022. Prior to her political career, Sinema worked as a social worker.
2000: Worked on Nader Campaign
In 2000, Sinema worked on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign.
2003: Adjunct Professor at ASU
In 2003, Sinema became an adjunct professor at Arizona State University School of Social Work.
2004: J.D. Degree
In 2004, Sinema earned a J.D. degree from Arizona State University College of Law and began working as a criminal defense lawyer.
2004: Elected to Arizona House
In 2004, Sinema was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.
2005: Co-hosted Air America radio show
In 2005, Kyrsten Sinema co-hosted an Air America radio show with 9/11 truther Jeff Farias.
2005: State Representative
In 2005, Sinema began serving as a state representative for the 15th legislative district.
2005: First Public Comment as Official
In 2005, Sinema made her first public comment as an elected official.
2006: Sponsored DREAM Act Bill
Also in 2006, Sinema sponsored a bill urging the adoption of the DREAM Act, and co-chaired Arizona Together.
2006: Opposition to Arizona Amendment
In 2006, Kyrsten Sinema opposed a proposed amendment to the Arizona state constitution which would have banned same-sex marriages and civil unions.
2006: Most Liberal Member
In 2006, Sinema told a radio host that she was "the most liberal member of the Arizona State Legislature".
2008: Opposition to Arizona Amendment banning same-sex marriage
In 2008, Kyrsten Sinema opposed a second proposed amendment banning only same-sex marriage in Arizona.
June 2009: White House Health Reform Task Force
In June 2009, Sinema was appointed to the White House Health Reform Task Force.
2009: Assistant Minority Leader
In 2009, Sinema became the assistant Minority Leader for the Democratic Caucus of the Arizona House of Representatives.
March 2010: Attended Obamacare Bill Signing
In March 2010, Sinema attended the Obamacare bill signing at the White House.
2010: Assistant Minority Leader
In 2010, Sinema continued as the assistant Minority Leader for the Democratic Caucus of the Arizona House of Representatives.
2010: Sponsored Veterans Tuition Bill
In 2010, Sinema sponsored a bill to give in-state tuition to veterans.
2010: Elected to Arizona Senate
In 2010, Sinema was elected to the Arizona Senate.
June 2011: Considering House Run
In June 2011, Sinema said she was considering running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.
2011: State Senator
In 2011, Sinema became the state senator for the 15th legislative district.
January 3, 2012: Announced Bid for Congress
On January 3, 2012, Sinema announced her bid for Congress in the 9th congressional district.
August 28, 2012: Won Democratic Primary
On August 28, 2012, Sinema won the three-way Democratic primary.
2012: U.S. Representative Election
In 2012, Sinema was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
June 2013: Original Cosponsor of LIBERT-E Act
In June 2013, Kyrsten Sinema became one of 29 original cosponsors of the bipartisan LIBERT-E Act, which would limit the National Security Agency (NSA) to only collecting electronic information from subjects of an investigation.
July 2013: Vote against Amash Amendment
In July 2013, Kyrsten Sinema joined a bipartisan majority and voted against an amendment to a defense appropriations bill (offered by Amash) to prohibit the NSA from monitoring and recording details of U.S. citizens' telecommunications without a warrant.
2013: Co-sponsored Letter Opposing Saudi Arabia
In 2013, Kyrsten Sinema co-sponsored Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney's letter, which opposed Saudi Arabia for "the use of torture and capital punishment against the LGBTQ community".
August 26, 2014: Unopposed in Democratic Primary
On August 26, 2014, Sinema was unopposed in the Democratic primary for reelection.
2015: Publication of Doctoral Dissertation
In 2015, Lexington Books published Sinema's doctoral dissertation on the 1994 Rwandan genocide under the title Who Must Die in Rwanda's Genocide?: The State of Exception Realized.
2016: Vote for Republican-backed bill on broadband rates
In 2016, Kyrsten Sinema was one of five House Democrats to vote for a Republican-backed bill barring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from regulating broadband rates, breaking from her party's opposition.
September 28, 2017: Announced Senate Candidacy
On September 28, 2017, Sinema officially announced her candidacy for the Class I United States Senate seat.
April 2018: Campaign Fundraising
Federal Election Commission filings released in April 2018 showed Sinema had raised over $8.2 million.
July 2018: Vote Against Abolishing ICE
In July 2018, Kyrsten Sinema broke with her party by voting with Republicans against abolishing ICE.
January 3, 2019: Sworn into U.S. Senate
On January 3, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema was sworn in with the 116th United States Congress as a U.S. Senator for Arizona.
February 5, 2019: Voted for defense and security assistance provisions
On February 5, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema voted for a bill that would make improvements to certain defense and security assistance provisions, authorize the appropriation of funds to Israel, and reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015.
February 12, 2019: Vote for Natural Resources Management Act
On February 12, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema voted along with the whole Senate for the Natural Resources Management Act, which provides for the management of the natural resources of the United States.
February 14, 2019: Voted to confirm William Barr as Attorney General
On February 14, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema voted in favor of confirming William Barr as the Attorney General.
February 2019: Sponsorship of Employer Participation in Repayment Act
In February 2019, Kyrsten Sinema co-sponsored the Employer Participation in Repayment Act, which allowed employers to contribute up to $5,250 to their employees' student loans.
March 13, 2019: Voted to remove U.S. Armed Forces from Yemen
On March 13, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema voted to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.
March 14, 2019: Vote Against Trump's National Emergency Declaration
On March 14, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema voted against Trump's National Emergency declaration on border security.
April 2019: Vote to Confirm David Bernhardt
In April 2019, Kyrsten Sinema was one of three Democrats who voted with Republicans to confirm David Bernhardt, a former oil executive, as Secretary of the Interior Department.
July 30, 2019: Released proposal for child tax credit benefits
On July 30, 2019, Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Bill Cassidy released a proposal under which new parents would be authorized to advance their child tax credit benefits in order to receive a $5,000 cash benefit upon either birth or adoption of a child, with the parents' child tax credit then reduced by $500 for each year of the following decade.
2019: Net Neutrality Bill
In 2019, Kyrsten Sinema was the sole Senate Democrat not to co-sponsor the Save the Internet Act, which would restore Obama-era regulations preventing ISPs from throttling consumers' website traffic.
January 6, 2021: Urged support for January 6th Commission
On January 6, 2021, Kyrsten Sinema urged her Senate colleagues to vote in favor of the proposed January 6 commission to further investigate the storming of the United States Capitol, however she did not vote on it citing a "personal family matter".
January 25, 2021: Filibuster Stance
On January 25, 2021, a spokesperson for Kyrsten Sinema told The Washington Post that she is "against eliminating the filibuster" and "not open to changing her mind" on the issue.
February 4, 2021: Vote Against COVID-19 Support for Undocumented Immigrants
On February 4, 2021, Kyrsten Sinema voted against providing COVID-19 pandemic financial support to undocumented immigrants.
February 12, 2021: Announced opposition to $15/hour minimum wage in COVID-19 relief bill
On February 12, 2021, Kyrsten Sinema announced her opposition to including a $15/hour minimum wage as part of a COVID-19 relief bill.
March 5, 2021: Voted against $15/hour minimum wage
On March 5, 2021, Kyrsten Sinema voted against an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, garnering both criticism and comparisons to John McCain and Marie Antoinette.
October 18, 2021: Meeting with President Biden on spending bills
On October 18, 2021, Kyrsten Sinema and Senator Joe Manchin met with President Biden to discuss their concerns with Democrat-crafted spending bills.
January 2022: Vote Against Filibuster Rule Change
In January 2022, Kyrsten Sinema and Democratic Senate colleague Joe Manchin voted against changing the Senate filibuster rule, resulting in censure from the Arizona Democratic Party executive committee.
December 2022: Lead Cosponsor and Negotiator on Respect for Marriage Act
In December 2022, Kyrsten Sinema was a lead cosponsor and negotiator on the Respect for Marriage Act, which passed the Senate, 61–36.
March 5, 2024: Announced No Reelection Bid
On March 5, 2024, Sinema announced she would not seek reelection to the Senate.
2025: Joined Coinbase Advisory Council
In 2025, Sinema joined the Coinbase Global Advisory Council.
