On December 11, 2025, former Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema once again found herself at the center of a national debate—this time, over the future of artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States and the controversial push to build data centers in communities that don’t want them. Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and did not seek reelection, has reemerged as a passionate advocate for AI infrastructure, arguing that the stakes are nothing less than America’s global leadership and national security.
Sinema’s recent media blitz, including a high-profile appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” underscored her urgent message: the U.S. risks ceding the AI race to China if it doesn’t act swiftly to expand domestic data centers and invest in critical AI infrastructure. “China is doing everything it can to dominate AI globally, and they will program the AI with Chinese values,” Sinema warned, as reported by Fox News. She added, “President Trump is 100% right. We’ve got to double down and make sure that American values are the values of the world, and that we control this global AI agenda. And that’s why these data centers are so important all across the country.”
The AI race, Sinema insists, is about much more than technology—it’s a matter of national security. “We have got to win that race,” she said, drawing a direct comparison between today’s AI revolution and the internet revolution of the 1990s. According to Sinema, just as the internet brought about sweeping changes and initial anxieties about job loss, AI is poised to bring similar transformation, enhancing lives in ways many people may not yet appreciate. “People think, 'Oh, the robots are gonna take over.' But what they're maybe not thinking about is how it's enhancing their lives already,” she noted, highlighting examples like AI-optimized firetruck and school bus routes that are already benefiting communities.
Yet Sinema’s efforts to advance AI infrastructure have sparked fierce opposition, particularly in Chandler, Arizona, where she and her newly founded “AI Infrastructure Coalition” are pushing for a $2 billion data center. The coalition, established earlier this year with former Republican Rep. Garret Graves and GOP strategist Brian O. Walsh, has been working closely—“hand in glove,” as Sinema put it—with the Trump administration to enact its “AI Action Plan.”
During an October appearance before the Chandler Planning Commission, Sinema made her case for the data center, warning that federal preemption would soon override local control. “Chandler right now has the opportunity to determine how and when these new, innovative AI data centers will be built. When federal preemption comes, we’ll no longer have that privilege. They will just occur, and they will occur in the manner which they want to occur,” Sinema stated, according to Them. Her remarks were “widely interpreted as a threat from Washington,” CNN reported, though Sinema later told the network her words had been misinterpreted and that she supports “local control.”
The controversy has ignited passions in Chandler. City councilmember O.D. Harris told CNN, “It wasn’t a threat, it was a promise. People are fired up over this now, and they’re fired up because of Sen. Sinema. She shouldn’t have come.” According to a City Council memo cited by CNN, emails opposing the project outnumber those in favor by a staggering 20 to one. Many Chandler residents were reportedly shocked to learn that nearly a dozen data centers already operate in the area. City planners have recommended against the project, arguing that it would not deliver high-paying jobs for local residents, as reported by the Phoenix Business Journal.
The final vote on the proposal was scheduled for December 11, setting the stage for a showdown between federal ambitions and local resistance. For Sinema and her coalition, the stakes go well beyond Chandler. They argue that America’s ability to lead in AI depends on building the infrastructure necessary to support innovation and security on a global scale.
Sinema has not shied away from criticism. She has accused the political left of spreading “misinformation” about the impact of AI and the construction of data centers. “This administration is doing a good job of telling the truth,” Sinema said on Fox News, referring to the Trump administration’s messaging. “That communication is bringing people together who just want efficient, proactive, good lives. Where their kids have a better life than they had. So this is, I think, a really important issue that has nothing to do with partisanship.”
Despite her reassurances, skepticism remains high in Chandler and beyond. Critics point to concerns about the environmental impact of massive data centers, the potential for minimal local job creation, and the broader reliability and safety of rapidly advancing AI technologies. According to Them, city planners and residents alike worry that the promised benefits may not materialize—and that the costs, both literal and figurative, could be steep.
The debate over AI infrastructure is also playing out against the backdrop of broader industry trends. While AI has driven significant financial gains for some tech companies in recent years, recent concerns about reliability, environmental impact, and the potential for serious harm have led to dramatic losses in market value, with some insiders warning that the “AI bubble” could soon burst.
Sinema, undeterred by these headwinds, has deepened her ties to the AI industry. In April, she partnered with billionaire Sam Altman’s OpenAI—the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT—to establish an AI center at Arizona State University. The move further solidified her reputation as a champion of AI development, even as it drew criticism from those wary of the technology’s rapid expansion.
In her Fox News appearance, Sinema doubled down on her message, calling AI a “national security race” that the U.S. must win over China and dismissing objections to AI as “misinformation” from the political left. She also praised the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives, which have included controversial anti-vaccine claims and research into a purported “cure for autism.” “MAHA is doing great things in our country,” Sinema said, according to Them.
As the Chandler City Council prepared to cast its decisive vote, the battle lines were clear. On one side, Sinema and her coalition, backed by federal ambitions and the Trump administration’s AI agenda, pressing for rapid expansion of data centers and technological dominance. On the other, local officials and residents, wary of losing control over their communities and skeptical of the promised benefits.
The outcome in Chandler may prove to be a harbinger for similar battles across the country as the U.S. grapples with the promise and perils of artificial intelligence. For Sinema, the fight is nothing less than existential—for the nation’s values, its security, and its place in a rapidly changing world.
