Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, spent Friday evening with a boisterous crowd in Arizona, a state President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, and one Harris may need to win in November to defeat the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Harris told supporters at a packed Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, “We're gonna do this. We're gonna do this. We are going to do this.”
“We face a question,” Harris said. “That question being, what kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of chaos, fear, and hate, or a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law?”
And Walz, who Harris announced as her vice presidential pick on Tuesday, told the crowd it would take all their support to accomplish Harris’ vision for the country.
“I imagine every person in here is going to vote, and every person in here is going to get 10 other people to vote,” Walz said. “And let's just go ahead and not go through this thing where it's so close. Let's just win big people.”
The campaign rally was the penultimate stop of a whirlwind five-day, seven-state trip introducing the Harris and Walz ticket.
It’s the vice president’s third visit to Arizona since March — she frequented the state while stumping for abortion rights — but her first as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Since Harris entered the race with the endorsement of President Biden, who bowed out after a disastrous performance in last month’s presidential debate, Democrats in Arizona have seen a groundswell of interest in the vice president’s candidacy — and that, in turn, has put the crucial Sun Belt swing state back in play.
The Harris campaign touted an announcement by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which Thursday shifted Arizona from “lean Republican” to “toss-up” for the presidential race.
“We've done a whole lot of winning over these past few years, haven't we?” said U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, citing his own victories in 2020 and 2022, as well as Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ win two years ago.
“And I don't know about you, but I think we're ready to keep winning,” Kelly added. “We are going to keep winning with Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.”
Harris was preceded by a who’s who of Arizona Democratic speakers, from Kelly and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, as well as U.S. Senate hopeful Rep. Ruben Gallego.
Mesa Mayor John Giles, a key figure in the Republicans for Harris coalition launched this week, was also given a valuable speaking slot. Giles told the crowd — particularly any of his fellow Republicans in the arena or watching from home — that they owe nothing to the Republican Party in November.
“By all means, you owe no displaced loyalty to a candidate that is morally and ethically bankrupt,” Giles said. “So again, to all of us, I would say in the spirit of the great Sen. John McCain, please … Please join me in putting country over party, and stopping Donald Trump, and protecting the rule of law, protecting our Constitution and protecting the democracy of this great country.”
Harris was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protestors, who she addressed by repeating her calls for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, and for the return of all hostages.
The protest did little to quell the joyous atmosphere in the arena, which Walz noted was the largest crowd he’d seen since they began their trip in Pennsylvania.
“And then on Wednesday, the largest crowd of the campaign showed up in Detroit, Michigan,” Walz said. “But Arizona just couldn't leave it alone, could you?
A campaign official confirmed more than 15,000 people attended the rally.
Harris described her campaign as a fight for the future — one with an affordable, broad based economy, with parental leave, and with access and a right to abortion for all women.
“When I am president of the United States, and when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedoms for every woman in America, I will sign it into law,” Harris said to applause from the crowd.
She also made specific pledges to the state’s native communities, vowing to work for the benefit of all Arizonans.
“I will always honor tribal sovereignty and respect tribal self-determination and fight for a future where every Native person can realize their aspirations, and every Native community is a place of opportunity,” Harris said.
Harris also vowed to sign a bipartisan border bill if elected, a measure that Republicans in Congress balked at voting for after Trump discouraged them from supporting it.
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