Kyrsten Sinema, the apparent winner in Arizona's Senate race, is the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Senate.
With Sinema's win, which was called late Monday November 12, Democrats now control 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51. At least 2 races have not yet been called.
Sinema, 42, faced a contentious race as a centrist Democrat candidate running against Republican Martha McSally.
She will assume the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake.
Here is Martha McSally's concession.
From the New York Times:
Ms. Sinema’s victory over Martha McSally, a Republican congresswoman and former Air Force pilot, marks the first Democratic triumph since 1976 in a battle for an open Senate seat in Arizona. Ms. Sinema takes the seat being vacated by Jeff Flake, a Republican who retired after publicly clashing with President Trump.
Ms. Sinema’s victory guarantees the Democrats at least 47 Senate seats. Republicans control 51, with two still undecided: Florida, where there is a recount, and Mississippi, where there is a runoff.
The win by Ms. Sinema points to a remarkable shift in Arizona’s political landscape. That state has been a Republican bastion for decades, but Democrats are seizing on dissatisfaction with budget cuts and growing unease over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown to make inroads with moderate voters.
Voter drives to register more Latinos, who generally vote Democratic in Arizona, appear to have paid off for Ms. Sinema. About 2.1 million Latinos live in Arizona, about a third of the state’s population; while Mr. Trump narrowly carried the state in the 2016 election, many Latinos in the state have expressed displeasure with the president.
