Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is running for Senate against Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, setting up a marquee race between a former progressive-turned-centrist Democrat and one of President Donald Trump’s harshest Republican critics.
Sinema released an announcement video on Thursday afternoon, making her Flake’s first Democratic challenger. State Rep. Randy Friese, a trauma surgeon who treated former Rep. Gabby Giffords, was also considering a Democratic bid. Flake is facing a primary challenge from former state Sen. Kelli Ward and other Republicans are eyeing his seat.
“I owe a large debt to my country,” Sinema says in the video, outlining how her middle-class family fell into poverty and how she climbed out of it with help from the government, her church, her teachers and her family. “I got my shot. And now it’s my duty to help others get their shot. So when people ask why I want to serve in the United States Senate, that’s easy. I want to do more for my country.”