Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly appointed running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are set to hold a rally in the state of Arizona as part of their campaign tour through key electoral battlegrounds.
The visit is especially noteworthy given that Harris chose Walz—a citizen of a state where she passed over one of the top contenders for the vice presidential spot, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a top Democrat and gun control advocate.
Harris’s decision to pass over Kelly could mean a lot in terms of voter support from Arizona.
Gonzalo Leyva, a 49-year-old Phoenix landscaper, said he had been looking for a Harris-Kelly ticket. “I prefer Kelly like 100 times,” Leyva said, adding that he now intends to vote for former President Donald Trump.
This sentiment shows one of the possible challenges Harris and Walz might face in this politically divided state: convincing undecided voters.
The Stakes in Arizona
It’s not unprecedented in Arizona to have razor-close elections — President Joe Biden won by less than 11,000 votes in 2020. Both parties are bracing for another tight race this year; every ballot will count. Political strategists say the next months will seem like an eternity with no clear front-runner emerging.
But Democratic strategists nevertheless feel good about where Harris is in Arizona, despite the misgivings some had about the choice of running mate. A good number think that not choosing Kelly has not hurt support for Harris in the least. “There’s immense enthusiasm on the ground,” said D.J. Quinlan, a Democratic strategist, drawing parallels to the excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
Trump’s Visit to Montana
While Harris and Walz will zero in on Arizona, former President Donald Trump will be in Montana to campaign for Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. Trump would like to wrap up unfinished business from his 2018 campaign when he tried but failed to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Historic Opportunity to Make: Harris and Walz
Should Harris and Walz win, that would be a momentous day for the nation. It would be the first time a woman of colour had led the country but it would also, incidentally, be the first time a Native American woman had governed a state – Peggy Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor of Minnesota, if Walz moves to the vice-presidency.
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