Christenson has stood in the Senate and taken lonely stands, sometimes in opposition to most of her own party members. During the debate over the human rights commission, she grew impatient with some Democrats who argued for an independent commission or nothing at all. She said they shouldn't claim the mantle of human rights protector until they're ready to accept that other, unmentioned minority, homosexuals. In the end she helped persuade the Senate to accept a stronger human rights division within the Labor Department. Christenson also was one of just eight senators to oppose a bill regarding students' right to pray in school.
Prayer is too personal, too private, too spiritual.
A prayer is between an individual and his or her concept of a higher power. Leans left Christenson knows she orates a little more formally than most of her fellow senators, and she knows she leans further to the left than many of her constituents, and even than some of her fellow Democrats. And that's just OK with her. As for speaking, like her mother said, she's got a passion for it. To her, communication is the essence and the main ingredient of all that is good.