Defeated former Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker
PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona voters have chosen former Democratic state Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to represent a new Phoenix-area congressional district.
Sinema had a narrow lead on election night, but slowly gained ground as more ballots were tallied in the last week. She now has a nearly 6,000-vote edge over Republican Vernon Parker.
Sinema becomes the first openly bisexual member of Congress, winning a race that featured millions of dollars in attack ads.
Parker was criticized by Democrats as a tea party radical who would hurt children by cutting the federal education department.
Republicans countered saying Sinema was too liberal for the newly created district and doesn't understand stay-at-home moms.
The district covers parts of Phoenix and several suburbs, including an affluent town where Parker was once mayor.
