🗳️ All eyes on AZ

August 24, 2024
by RJ Hamster

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Your Week with AZCentral

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Fri Aug 23 2024

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

@raphaeldelag

Hey readers,

The 2024 Democratic National Convention wrapped up Thursday night in Chicago, with Kamala Harris accepting her party’s presidential nomination . We are now 73 days away from the election, and there is much more to come before November.

The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, and his running mate have been campaigning in battleground states – including here in Arizona. On Thursday afternoon, the Trump campaign stopped in Cochise County, where J.D. Vance visited in early August and criticized Harris’s role as the “border czar” during her vice presidency.

This week, I spoke with my colleagues at the DNC: Immigration Issues Reporter Rafael Carranza and Politics Reporter Laura Gersony. We also hear from National Politics Reporter Stephanie Murray, who has been covering the Trump campaign’s visit to Arizona this past week. They helped us understand Harris’s campaign pitch for the presidency and how Republicans have attempted to counter the momentum of the DNC.

Some of our coverage from the week:

📱 WhatsApp group aims to bring in Latino voters

💰 Spending big, crypto makes a play for Democratic Party support

🌵 Trump at Arizona-Mexico border to counter Harris momentum

With that, here’s what Rafael, Laura and Stephanie had to say.

DNC speakers focus on immigration

During the third night of the convention, several speakers put the issue of immigration front and center. Democratic lawmakers focused on immigration policy and attempted to remind voters about the bipartisan border security deal put together earlier this year. The Trump campaign and other Republicans have been on the offensive regarding the border. How have Democrats and the Harris campaign attempted to take control of the narrative at the convention?

Rafael: There’s little doubt it’s one of the biggest issues of this presidential campaign. It’s constantly all over TV and political ads in Arizona. Given how big of an issue it is, it was a bit surprising it wasn’t brought up earlier in the convention. Democrats are highlighting Vice President Harris’ experience as the chief prosecutor in a border state, going after drug and human smugglers. The Harris campaign is also vowing that if elected, Harris will reintroduce and pass the bipartisan border deal that failed earlier this year and, if they get a majority in Congress, pursue comprehensive immigration reform. It’s been nearly 40 years since the country’s immigration laws have been updated. Think about how much the country and the world has changed since then.

VP Harris makes her case

Harris took the stage to a roaring crowd of supporters on the last night of the convention on Thursday. Before accepting the nomination, the VP made her pitch to undecided voters watching the convention at home. What was her pitch, and was it enough to sway voters in battleground states like ours?

Laura: I’d say the vice president made two pitches to voters. On one hand, she made the case for her own leadership: she talked about her personal story as the daughter of immigrants; sketched out a second-term vision of an “opportunity economy”; and revved up the crowd on issues like abortion rights.

She also made the case against Trump. She reminded voters of his efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election, and his stated interest in seeking retribution against his political allies, to argue he can’t be trusted with power in a second term.

It’s not clear to me whether those arguments are powerful enough to swing Arizona. But it was undeniable at the convention that the Democratic Party’s base, at the very least, is wildly enthusiastic about Harris’ candidacy.

More attention on Arizona

While the DNC wraps up in Chicago, the Trump campaign has been busy visiting multiple swing states during the Democratic convention. Arizona, which played a significant role in Trump’s 2020 election loss, has become a major focus for Democrats and Republicans in the 2024 presidential race. What has been the Trump campaign’s pitch to Arizona voters? Why did he decide to tour swing states during the DNC?

Stephanie: When President Joe Biden was at the top of the ticket, Republicans felt comfortable they would win Arizona and were looking to expand the electoral map to some blue states. Trump and his allies are giving Arizona – and many of the other battleground states – more attention now that Harris is at the top of the ticket.

Trump gave a three-pronged campaign pitch during his visit to Cochise County: Crackdown on immigration, boost the economy and bring his brand of politics back to the world stage. It’s no coincidence that he used the southern border wall as the backdrop to deliver a speech aimed at taking away some of the spotlight from Harris on her big convention night. Immigration is one the most vulnerable issues for Democrats, and Republicans are eager to keep it front of mind for voters.

This newsletter is written by Raphael Romero Ruiz. Reach him at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.

Trump visit: Live blog of Glendale rally

The former president and 2024 GOP nominee will hold an Arizona rally in Glendale after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County.

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🗳️ All eyes on AZ

🗳️ All eyes on AZ

Your Week with AZCentral

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

DNC speakers focus on immigration

VP Harris makes her case

More attention on Arizona

Trump visit: Live blog of Glendale rally

Tim Walz’s son gave us the most beautiful moment at DNC

Why I’ll never attend a Trump rally again, in AZ or anywhere

Where was Katie Hobbs during Kamala Harris’ speech?

Legendary Phoenix blues club is for sale. What we know

A Phoenix institution inspired this Valley city. How?

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🗳️ All eyes on AZ

🗳️ All eyes on AZ

Your Week with AZCentral

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

DNC speakers focus on immigration

VP Harris makes her case

More attention on Arizona

Trump visit: Live blog of Glendale rally

Tim Walz’s son gave us the most beautiful moment at DNC

Why I’ll never attend a Trump rally again, in AZ or anywhere

Where was Katie Hobbs during Kamala Harris’ speech?

Legendary Phoenix blues club is for sale. What we know

A Phoenix institution inspired this Valley city. How?

Sign up for the news you want

Share this:

Like this:

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