Sen. Kyrsten Sinema named one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2022

Tara Kavaler, Arizona Republic
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has been named as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2022.

The magazine's list is broken up into six categories that capture different elements of society, like artists and leaders. Hailed as a "champion in the U.S. Senate," Sinema, D-Ariz., was listed in the latter category, along with 22 others.

"She’s original, determined, and incredibly smart," Sinema's colleague, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, wrote for Time. "But it is her fearless approach to legislating that makes her a force to be reckoned with. Kyrsten understands the importance of consensus, and looks beyond the partisan labels to form genuine relationships based on trust and collaboration.

U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., speaks at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry update from Capitol Hill luncheon at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix on April 12, 2022.
U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., speaks at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry update from Capitol Hill luncheon at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix on April 12, 2022.

"She is keenly focused on outcomes with a view toward the greater good, not for personal or political gain," Murkowski wrote.

Murkowski, a moderate senator, credited Sinema's legislative style for the passage of last year's bipartisan infrastructure law, which, Murkowski wrote, "will benefit Arizonans, Alaskans, and all Americans."

Sinema was the sole senator and only member of her party on Capitol Hill to make the list. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, was the only other member of Congress named.

Other political leaders on the Time list include President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Chinese President Xi Jinping, newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Previously, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made the Time 100 list in 2006 and 2008. Former Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., was included on Time's 2010 list.

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyrsten Sinema named to Time's 100 most influential people of 2022