PHOENIX – Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris will make her first Arizona campaign stop in Glendale on Friday.
She and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are visiting the Grand Canyon State as part of their tour of the swing states.
The visit is a crucial opportunity to win over voters in Arizona who had hoped she would choose U.S. Senator Mark Kelly as her vice presidential candidate.
Kelly, a former astronaut, was one of the top candidates. Harris interviewed him, Walz and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro shortly before announcing her final decision. Despite the loss, Kelly vowed to do everything she could to support the Harris-Walz ticket.
According to Stacy Pearson, a Democratic political consultant, the visit is also a good opportunity for Harris to win over voters in Arizona who may be disillusioned with the Biden administration’s border policies.
“This will be a very optimistic message for the people of Arizona who have really stood at the corner of Main and Main during this border crisis,” Pearson said. Arizona Morning News from KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.
What to expect from Harris’ campaign appearance in Glendale
Harris said in a social media post Friday morning that she was happy to be in Arizona.
We are campaigning on behalf of all Americans.
It’s great to be in Arizona with the Governor @Tim_Walz.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) 9 August 2024
On the policy front, Pearson expects Harris to focus on border security, for which she has been criticized in the past, but many mayors along the border support her.
“She’s going to talk about what’s possible and what happens when she and Governor Walz take over the White House,” Pearson said. “It starts with passing the bipartisan border security agreement that was crafted by a senator from Arizona: Senator Sinema.”
Pearson expects Harris to address issues such as homelessness, LGBT rights, crime and other important topics in addition to the border issue.
Harris could also speak about abortion. Her last trip to Arizona was in late June for an event on reproductive freedom.
This rally is an opportunity for Harris to win over the state’s independent voters, Pearson said.
Many of the state’s independent voters have been lifelong Democrats and moved to Arizona from Democratic states such as California, Oregon or Washington, she added.
“They’ve been Democrats all their lives,” Pearson said. “They believe in marriage equality, but they’re angry about homelessness. They’re angry about traffic. They’re angry about local crime and safety issues. And so they came here and raised their flag to pledge allegiance to no party.”
Why Harris wants to win over voters in Arizona
“Arizona will be a swing state or a voter-favoring state for the foreseeable future,” Pearson said.
In Arizona, every vote will be crucial. The state is no stranger to nail-biting elections, including in 2020, when President Joe Biden defeated Trump by less than 11,000 votes. Both parties are bracing for a similar outcome this year.
It is still unclear whether Arizona will lean Democratic or Democratic in the election. Whether Harris can win over independents to her side could turn the tide, Pearson said.
However, Harris’ appeal has been shown to cut across political camps in Arizona. The Republican mayor of Mesa, John Giles, has pledged his support.
In addition, her campaign team has launched the “Republicans for Harris” initiative, which is planning several events in Arizona to court those in the party who are disillusioned with former President Donald Trump.
Before her campaign stop in Glendale, she received a warm welcome in the Grand Canyon State. Officials such as Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Attorney General Kris Mayes and Representative Greg Stanton greeted her on the tarmac.
Welcome back to Arizona, @KamalaHarris. pic.twitter.com/YoIK5uTUO7
— Greg Stanton (@gregstantonaz) 9 August 2024
Who is ahead in Arizona: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump?
Arizona was a reliably Republican state until Trump’s hawkish policies gained national traction.
Trump won Arizona in 2016 but quickly fell out with the late Republican Senator John McCain, a political icon in the state. This sparked a steady exodus of educated, moderate Republicans from the GOP and swept the Democrats in top-tier races.
In 2018, Democrats won an open race for the state’s Senate seat, foreshadowing Kelly’s 2020 victory and Biden’s victory there as well. In 2022, Kelly won again, and Democrats won the three key statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, defeating Republican candidates who maintained Trump’s style and his lies about voter fraud that cost him the 2020 presidential election.
Recent polls show Harris ahead of Trump in Arizona.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
