Kamala Harris’ first week as presidential candidate sends jolt of enthusiasm through Arizona

Arizonans weary of a presidential rematch were reinvigorated last week when a new contender for commander-in-chief appeared with a forward-looking promise: “We’re not going back.”

The ripple effect of President Joe Biden’s decision to end his campaign and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place in the Oval Office next year has been felt all across Arizona. Over the weekend, the Harris campaign contacted over 10,000 voters in the state to educate them on the new candidate and introduce them to congressional and legislative candidates on the ballot this November.

@A_DLCC Weekend of Action Canvass Launch in LD 9 this morning with @LorenaAustin4Az @SethBlattman @EvaBurchAZ Mesa Vice Mayor Frankie Heredia and volunteers who are fired up and doing the work to flip the legislature! pic.twitter.com/AorgP2ser5

— Yolanda Bejarano (@yolitorosentado) July 27, 2024

Communities rally for Harris’ nomination

Biden’s announcement  sent a shockwave through the state, followed by a rush of enthusiasm when he formally endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee. While Biden won Arizona’s Democratic Presidential Preference election in March, he had not secured his party’s nomination. That process takes place in mid-August, when party delegates from each state vote for a nominee who they feel best represents their community.

Within days of Biden’s announcement and subsequent endorsement, all 85 of Arizona’s Democratic delegates reported to the party that the areas they represent support Harris for president, and that they intend to vote for her at the Democratic National Convention. Roberto Reveles, a delegate representing Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District and one of the first prominent Arizonans to ask Biden to end his presidential bid, accurately predicted on July 10 how a Harris candidacy would “immediately transform the presidential election dynamics.”

“A candidate who brings proven courtroom prosecution skills honed at the local and state level,” Reveles said, highlighting Harris’ strengths as a possible replacement candidate. “Congressional relationships developed as a Senator, commitment to women’s issues beyond abortion rights, emboldened communications assets, a personal life experience that aligns with Black and immigrant communities.”

Reveles’ inclination proved prophetic: not only did the Harris campaign raise $200 million in less than a week, but previously unenthused Arizona voters eagerly reached out to delegates urging them to nominate Harris. Thousands of others who had never donated, volunteered, or even bothered to register to vote, rushed to offer their support to help Harris and other Democratic candidates win in November.

Support for Harris flows down ballot

The response to Harris’ candidacy locally was staggering, according to party officials. Two days after the announcement marked the highest volunteer recruitment the state’s Democratic apparatus had ever seen. In the first week of the Harris campaign, nearly 2,000 people signed up to volunteer—and not just for Harris. That following weekend, over 65 voter outreach events were held in every county across the state, where volunteers talked to over 10,000 people about candidates up and down the ballot.

The Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (ADLCC), a party subgroup tasked with securing a Democratic majority in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, said that while every volunteer was energized by Harris, they were just as pumped to promote legislative candidates. State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, a Tucson legislator and chair of the ADLCC, told The Copper Courier that voters they spoke with were issue-focused and would vote for anything or anyone on the ballot that aligned with their principles.

“Voters across the state are fired up and working hard to elect a Democratic legislature in November,” said Sundareshan. “One that will protect basic freedoms, build a strong school system, and fight back against Republican extremism.”

State Rep. Quantá Crews, who has been talking with voters in her west Phoenix district all year, believes the newfound enthusiasm is thanks to a fresh face that voters can relate to. While many were already steadfast in their opposition to Donald Trump and all he represents—including Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page manual created by far-right groups that outlines how a second Trump term could be used to legalize discrimination and siphon public funds to the wealthy—people see themselves in Harris, more than they did in Biden.

“With this ticket, folks can see themselves even more. Women see themselves and are excited. Women of color see themselves and are excited,” Crews said. “Men of color—those who love us, our allies, we see ourselves in this ticket. And I think that is the foundation of the momentum that we see. Folks can see themselves in a way that is different and is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.”

Secretary of State @Adrian_Fontes firing up volunteers in LD2 to knock doors and flip the legislature in just 100 days during @A_DLCC’s Weekend of Action. pic.twitter.com/5HpKMXMUnR

— Jacob Sumner, MPA (@realjacobsumner) July 27, 2024

What happens next?

John, a retired veteran Buckeye, Arizona, who supported Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, and Sarah, a north Phoenix resident who helps out with voter registration drives from time to time, said the excitement emanating from the Harris campaign was palpable. Both described their neighborhoods as “ruby red” Republican communities—a neighbor shot a Barack Obama yard sign in John’s yard one year—but believe Arizona voters will turn out for Harris.

“I think she’ll have 55-56 points by the election,” John said. “She was a good, good candidate four years ago. Now she’s got three-and-a-half years’ experience as a second in charge.”

“With Kamala now in the picture, I think I’m even more energized, more excited, about what’s to come,” Sarah added. “She’s a woman. She’s younger. A lot of young people are really energized and mobilized. I think they’re going to really help her to, hopefully, get elected—Gen Z, millennials, and TikTok generation. So I’m really excited. I think a lot of people, young people, are excited to vote for her.”

While the pair had volunteered for Democratic candidates in the past, Arizona Democratic Party Political Director Jacob Raiford said the combination of returning and first-time volunteers is proof that people are paying attention, and people want to be involved.

While issue-based efforts like the Arizona for Abortion Access Act attracted thousands of volunteers and nearly 1 million pledged supporters, bringing that energy to the bigger tent of the state’s Democratic Party signals a collective focus on progressive ideals.

“Whether it’s abortion access, whether it’s our undocumented families, whether it’s the myriad of things that we have been speaking to—in terms of us as Arizona Democrats, in terms of us as Arizona residents—these are things that people have been paying attention to,” Raiford said. “And it’s not a coincidence that as soon as this major shift had transpired, we saw a large amount of individuals that suddenly turned their engines on. It’s electrifying, to say the least.”

Is Arizona still a Republican stronghold?

With the wind in their sails, Arizona Democrats are now tasked with the monumental task of convincing voters in a state that Biden won by 10,000 votes in 2020 to not only put their trust in his predecessor, but to hand the keys to the state capitol to Democratic legislators for the first time in over 20 years.

Arizona was seen as a Republican stronghold until 2018, but the party has experienced a brutal series of losses in recent years, losing both of the state’s Senate seats, the governor’s mansion, and most other statewide offices.

Things could get even worse this year. During this election cycle, the  Republican Party of Arizona has lacked funds to maintain standard business operations and has no central office, and any voter outreach appears to be handled by candidates rather than with the support of the party structure.

No large-scale voter outreach efforts have been announced or promoted by the state’s Republican party since Trump received the presidential nomination in early July, and requests by The Copper Courier for information regarding volunteer recruiting or voter engagement were ignored. Instead, party officials spent the weekend promoting a small gathering in Navajo County, voter outreach efforts in other states, and the presidential election in Venezuela.

Chair @GinaSwoboda joined @GopNavajo today for the Families for Freedom event!

Arizonans are fired up across the state to #KeepArizonaRed and send Donald J. Trump back to the White House! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/iHGFalp6Wm

— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) July 28, 2024