Kyrsten Sinema, Rob Portman to open Portman Center at the University of Cincinnati

Former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will inaugurate the Portman Center for Policy Solutions at the University of Cincinnati on Monday.

The center will open on Monday with a speech by Portman, who will then participate in a question and answer session with Sinema, a former Democrat who is now one of three independents in the U.S. Senate.

The center's mission is to "promote finding common ground to solve policy problems," a release from UC states.

Sinema is locked in a tough three-way race for reelection. She's often been seen as a key swing vote in a Senate where the Democrats hold a narrow majority.

The center is named for Portman, a Republican from Terrace Park just east of Cincinnati who cultivated a reputation for brokering deals with Democrats. Just before he retired from the Senate in January, Portman led negotiations with the Senate and White House on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that will pay for the Brent Spence Bridge.

The Portman Center for Policy Solutions will offer fellowships, seminars and research opportunities on policy issues and civility in politics.

The ribbon cutting for the center will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at Bearcat Commons on UC's campaus followed by speeches by Portman, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and others.

The Q&A with Portman and Sinema will run from 11:10 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

The event is open to the public but there is a limited amount of seats.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why is Kyrsten Sinema at the University of Cincinnati on Monday?