Kyrsten Sinema donates $3 million from defunct campaign to ASU AI center – Washington Examiner
Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema donated $3 million of her unused campaign funds to Arizona State University (ASU), where she previously worked as a professor. This donation will support the establishment of the Spark Center for Innovation in Learning, aimed at assisting neurodiverse children with learning differences such as ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. The center will also introduce a Global AI Competition to devise AI-powered solutions to aid thes learners. Sinema, who has transitioned from a Democrat to an independent, expressed excitement about collaborating with tech companies to enhance educational outcomes for neurodivergent students. Meanwhile, her campaign finances came under scrutiny for importent spending on travel and events prior to her departure from the Senate, after which she took on roles in the private sector, including advisory positions.
Kyrsten Sinema donates $3 million from defunct campaign to ASU AI center
Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema donated the majority of her now-defunct campaign funds to Arizona State University, her alma mater and the site of her new innovation center.
Sinema donated $3 million to the university, according to recent campaign finance filings. Earlier this month, she announced a new collaboration with ASU: an initiative called the Spark Center for Innovation in Learning.
Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, was a professor at ASU for over 20 years. She said she intends for the university to assist neurodiverse children, including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, and dyslexia, among other learning differences. The center will also launch a “Global AI Competition to invite tech companies, students, researchers, faculty and others to help design AI-powered solutions that support neurodiverse learners at all stages of life,” according to a release from the university.
“Looking forward to advancing AI solutions for neurodivergent learners, and I’m so excited to partner with @OpenAI in this work,” Sinema wrote on social media.
After announcing she would not seek a second term in the Senate, Sinema, with her campaign still flush with cash, hosted undisclosed events and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on travel domestically and abroad.
Between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024, her campaign spent at least $26,000 on overseas expenses, most of which were for a trip to a five-star hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her campaign spent more than $650,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30, including $216,000 on travel.
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After leaving office, Sinema took a job in the private sector, joining crypto exchange Coinbase’s Global Advisory Council and becoming an adviser at the law firm Hogan Lovells.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) won Sinema’s Senate seat in the 2024 election.
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