Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, who defeated Republican opponent Martha McSally in the race for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat, is winning praise for her acceptance speech which urged people to work together despite their different political and personal beliefs, Newsweek is reporting.
"We can work with people who are different than us,” she said. “We can be friends with people who are different than us. We can love and care about people who are different than us. We can keep people who are different than us safe."
She said voters had "rejected what has become far too common in our country: name calling, petty, personal attacks, doing and saying whatever it takes just to get elected."
"It's dangerous," Sinema warned. "And it lessens who we are as a country."
Sinema becomes the first woman elected to represent Arizona in the Senate and will become the first openly bisexual senator in the nation, Newsweek noted.
She also referenced the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in her speech.
"He taught us to always assume the best in others, to seek compromise instead of sowing division, and to always put country ahead of party," she said.
Newsweek noted Twitter users were full of praise for Sinema’s speech.
And The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino tweeted “@kyrstensinema ran her campaign in the tradition of John McCain - an independent willing to buck her party. It worked. She spent a lot of time praising McCain in her acceptance speech tonight.”
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