The Arizona Business Roundtable is an advocacy and lobbying organization led by former U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). ¹ It has been described as promoting the interests of corporate members that pay membership fees starting at $250,000 per year. ²

Overview

Arizona Business Roundtable president and CEO Kyrsten Sinema was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in 2018, before leaving the Democratic Party in December 2022. ³ She completed her sole U.S. Senate term as an independent within the Democratic caucus, announcing in March 2024 that she would not run for reelection. ⁴

The Roundtable was incorporated in Arizona in April 2024 as a nonprofit corporation. ⁵ That month, it filed for tax-exempt status as a business league under section 501(c)(6) of the tax code with the Internal Revenue Service. ⁶

At the time of the Roundtable’s incorporation, Sinema was still a member of the U.S. Senate. ^{3 7}

Advocacy

The Arizona Business Roundtable’s policy interests reportedly include taxes and tariffs. ⁸ As of March 2025, it had not published any documents taking a position on policy issues. However, according to public filings, it had retained the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Mehlman Consulting to lobby on behalf of its members. ⁹

Supporters

Arizona Business Roundtable has not published any lists of supporters. In January 2025, Arizona political journalists Hank Stephenson and Nicole Ludden reported that its early supporters included Arizona Cardinals NFL team owner and Republican donor Michael Bidwill. ²

Stephenson and Ludden suggested that past controversies around Kyrsten Sinema’s use of campaign donations to pay for travel and security expenses might concern potential Roundtable members. ² In December 2024, the left-of-center legal advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Sinema’s primary campaign committee, Sinema for Arizona, had violated federal election laws by paying for more than $100,000 in travel expenses for Sinema after her announcement that she was not seeking reelection. ⁸

1. Oprysko, Caitlyn. “NRSC Strategists Hang a Shingle.” Politico, February 11, 2025. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2025/02/11/nrsc-strategists-hang-a-shingle-00203697.
2. Stephenson, Hank, and Nicole Ludden. “Sinema’s New Gig.” Arizona Agenda, January 9, 2025. https://www.arizonaagenda.com/p/sinemas-new-gig.
3. “Kyrsten Sinema.” Ballotpedia. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://ballotpedia.org/Kyrsten_Sinema.
4. “Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema Will Not Run for Re-Election in Arizona.” NBCNews.com, March 5, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/independent-sen-kyrsten-sinema-will-not-run-re-election-arizona-rcna124499.
5. “Entity Information: Arizona Business Roundtable.” Arizona Corporation Commission, April 29, 2024. https://ecorp.azcc.gov/BusinessSearch/BusinessInfo?entityNumber=23674670.
6. “Final Determination Letter.” Internal Revenue Service, December 17, 2024. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/dl/FinalLetter_99-3136566_ARIZONABUSINESSROUNDTABLEINC_06072024_00.pdf.
7. “Dates of Sessions of the Congress.” U.S. Senate, January 7, 2025. https://www.senate.gov/legislative/DatesofSessionsofCongress.htm.
8. “Crew Files Complaint against Kyrsten Sinema.” CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, December 18, 2024. https://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-action/legal-complaints/crew-files-complaint-against-kyrsten-sinema/
9. “Arizona Business Roundtable.” Legistorm. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.legistorm.com/organization/summary/34410/Business_Roundtable_Inc_.html.