Krysten Sinema is the Democrat who won the Arizona seat in the the US Senate, after in a tightly-contested race against Republican Martha McSally. Sinema currently serves as the congresswoman representing Arizona’s 9th district. There was no incumbent in this Senate race; Sinema and McSally were both vying to win the seat that belongs to Jeff Flake. Flake is not running for re-election.

On November 12, McSally conceded the race to Sinema. With more than 2.2 million votes cast, the latest count showed that McSally was trailing Sinema by more than 38,000 votes. McSally tweeted, “Congrats to @kyrstensinema. I wish her success. I’m grateful to all those who supported me in this journey. I’m inspired by Arizonans’ spirit and our state’s best days are ahead of us.”

Here’s what you need to know about Krysten Sinema:

1. She Spent Part of Her Childhood Living in an Old Gas Station

Sinema’s parents divorced when she was very young, and her mother married a teacher. When he lost his job, the family had no resources and took shelter in an old gas station. The family spent two years living in the building, which had no electricity or running water. Even after they could afford to move into a real home, the family remained poor.

Sinema says the experience shaped her politics forever. “I kind of grew up with a mix of two things,” she told NPR. “One was kind of this individual work ethic that my father and my stepfather and my mother all taught me, which was never depend on anyone else to do things for you, and work really hard on your own. At the same time, I benefited from the help of church and family and government my whole life.

Sinema graduated from high school early, at age 16, and earned a scholarship to Brigham Young University. She graduated with a degree in social work, vowing to make a difference in the lives of struggling families. But a few years into the job, Sinema decided that, in order to make a real and lasting difference, she should go into politics.

2. Sinema Grew Up Mormon But Left the Church as an Adult

Sinema was raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints. She says she left the church as an adult, after she graduated from Brigham Young University. But Sinema speaks glowingly of the church community and is grateful for the way the Mormons in her community looked out for her family when they were desperately poor.

“I have great respect for the LDS church — their commitment to family and taking care of each other is exemplary,” Sinema told the Washington Post. “I just don’t believe the tenets of the faith that they believe.”

Her mother and stepfather have remained in the church and have served on missions abroad, including to the Philippines.

3. If Elected, Sinema Would Be the First Bisexual Senator

The 42 year old Sinema has never been married, has no children, and is openly bisexual. Commentators are calling this evidence that Arizona is changing — the state, once considered conservative, may now be able to embrace a bisexual senator who’s not affiliated with any religion.

On the other hand, Sinema has also been compared to John McCain, perhaps Arizona’s most famous maverick and rule breaker.

And Sinema says that her ability to make friends across the aisle helps her to bring together Arizonans of all backgrounds. “In 2006, Arizona was the first state in the country to defeat a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality at the ballot box,” Sinema told The Advocate. “I chaired that effort with my friend and former legislator Steve May, and we were successful because we took it out of a partisan context and instead connected with voters where they were. We focused on how this issue affects everyday Arizonans and set an example for the nation on how we are all more alike than different.”

4. She’s Been Accused of Voting to ‘Cut’ ICE

Sinema’s opponent in the Senate race, Martha McSally, says Sinema voted in Congress to “cut ICE.” However, Politifact has reported that this is only partially true. Sinema did vote to shift some funds from ICE to other agencies — but she also voted to increase ICE’s overall funding in 2018. And she voted yes on a measure of confidence in ICE.

Sinema has said abolishing ICE “isn’t realistic and it doesn’t make any sense.”

5. She Protested Against the US Invasion of Iraq

Back in 2003, when Sinema was a social worker, she was also an anti-war protester. Her opponent in the Senate race, Martha McSally, has attacked Sinema for participating in anti-war protests, sometimes while wearing a pink tutu.

Sinema was once a member of the Green Party and worked on Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign in 2000.

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