Senate Campaign Announcement - September 28, 2017

SINEMA: I guess I'm a little bit different than most people in politics. I was born in Tucson and started out in the middle class, but when I was in elementary school my dad lost his job then my parents got divorced. My mom struggled to take care of us kids on her own. First we lost our car, then we lost our home. For nearly three years we lived in an old abandoned gas station without running water or electricity. Sometimes we didn't have enough food to eat, but we got by thanks to help from family, church, and sometimes even the government.

Those were tough times, but I knew it could be different. I never believed that being homeless was going to stop me from being who I wanted to be. See my parents taught me that if you work really hard you can make it. I worked really hard, but I still needed a little help. For a while we got by on food stamps and I had a Pell Grant for college. I always had a team of teachers, family, and friends rooting for me to make it helping me along the way.

When I went off to college, I knew I wanted to help other people get their shot at the American dream because that dream came true for me. The way I see it, the American Dream is a combination of working hard, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps every day, but also reaching out to help those who need a hand. That certainly been the story of my life. That is the story of America. I owe a large debt to my country; 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 well that's easy, I want to do more for my country. I have the chance to change things and help Arizonans every day. Whether it's a veteran who can't get his benefits, a widow who needs Social Security, a businessman who's struggling with red tape, or parents worried their kids won't have a better life than they have, I get to help people solve their problems. What a privilege. Our nation is facing a lot of problems right now, but we can fix these problems if we work together. It's time to put our country ahead of party, ahead of politics. It's time to stop fighting and look for common ground. It’s time for us to stand up and answer the call. We can change a broken Washington and make it work again. I'm Kyrsten Sinema. I approve this message and I'm running for the United States Senate because I'm not giving up on the American dream.