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Meet the 5 most bipartisan politicians in Congress

These five politicians were ranked as the most bipartisan members of Congress by The Lugar Center’s 2015 Bipartisan Index.

5. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D) of Arizona

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
Photo is from Representative Sinema's Facebook page.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema served as an Arizona state senator and representative for seven years before being elected to Congress in 2012.

There, Representative Sinema joined the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of “15 fiscally conservative Democrats that are deeply committed to the financial stability and national security of the United States and dedicated to finding bipartisan solutions to the nation’s biggest challenges.”

Sinema’s economic platform includes an expanded military budget, a simplified tax code, and reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank. She was the only Democrat in Arizona to be endorsed by the US Chamber of Commerce during her 2014 reelection campaign.

The Arizona congresswoman – an Ironman triathlete, PhD, and the first openly bisexual member of Congress – also supports more liberal issues, including abortion rights, restrictions on gun purchases, same-sex marriage, and the DREAM act.

Sinema says she doesn’t care about partisan lines. Instead, she is willing to work with “anyone serious” about finding solutions to national problems.

“I’m very concerned about the tone of politics in recent years,” said Sinema during an interview for Time magazine’s “40 Under 40” issue. “We’ve seen a decline in civility and bipartisanship, and a rapid increase in hostility between those who have differing opinions. I think this has led to the alienation of the public in governance, which jeopardizes democratic participation.”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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