Kyrsten Sinema on Monday was declared
the winner of a hard-fought House race, becoming the first openly
bisexual member of Congress.
“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,” Sinema told ABC News.
Sinema is the seventh openly LGBT
congressional candidate to win on Election Day. An eighth candidate,
Richard Tisei, lost his bid to become the House's first openly gay
Republican. Massachusetts voters decided instead to return
Representative John Tierney to Congress.
(Related: Six
openly gay candidates elected to Congress; seventh leading.)
The 36-year-old Sinema held a slim lead
over her Republican rival, Vernon Parker on Election Night. On
Monday, the AP announced her the winner with a 6,000 vote lead.
Arizona's newly formed 9th
Congressional District includes portions of downtown Phoenix. The
district includes a large share of independents.
“This district is a very young
district. We'll always be competitive. Folks will be making
decisions on who has the best ideas,” she said.