Kamala Harris Makes An Immigration Pitch In Arizona As She Fights To Gain Ground In The Sun Belt

Vice President Kamala Harris drew on her prosecutorial background to make her first expansive pitch on immigration to border-state voters as she and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, attracted thousands to a campaign rally in Arizona during their tour of battleground states.

Harris, the former attorney general of California, reminded the crowd that she, as a law enforcement official, targeted transnational gangs, drug cartels and smugglers.

바카라�I prosecuted them in case after case, and I won,바카라� Harris said in front of a crowd of more than 15,000 in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix. 바카라�So I know what I'm talking about.바카라�

Harris promoted a border security bill that a bipartisan group of senators negotiated earlier this year, which Republican lawmakers ultimately opposed en masse at Republican nominee Donald Trump's behest.

바카라�Donald Trump does not want to fix this problem," Harris said. "Be clear about that: He has no interest or desire to actually fix the problem. He talks a big game about border security, but he does not walk the walk.바카라�

Her effort to address immigration 바카라� a political liability that has dogged Harris for most of her vice presidency 바카라� head-on in the critical battleground state is part of a broader push from her campaign to make gains in Sun Belt states that had become increasingly out of reach with Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.

Trump and his allies, who had long hammered Biden over the influx of migrants during his term, are now shifting their attacks to Harris. Kari Lake, who is running against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego for the open Senate seat in Arizona, bashes Gallego in a recent ad for supporting Biden's and Harris' 바카라�radical border agenda,바카라� featuring repeated clips of the vice president chortling.

바카라�It's very easy for us to segue and switch our sights and focus on her,바카라� said Dave Smith, Pima County's Republican party chairman.

But Harris has been courting the state's fast-growing Latino population and released a new ad of her own, highlighting how Harris, the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, rose to the highest echelons of American politics.

And, as she has done in other campaign stops, Harris during the rally infused the theme of 바카라�freedom바카라� throughout her remarks, especially as it came to voting rights, gun safety, LBGT rights and access to abortion.

바카라�Arizona, ours is a fight for the future and it is a fight for freedom,바카라� Harris said, who had walked out on the stage as Beyonce's 바카라�Freedom" blared throughout Desert Diamond Arena.

Harris' message on safety and gun restrictions resonated with Jen Duran, a 37-year-old mother and independent voter.

바카라�I have an elementary school daughter who has been going to this school since she was 4, and today we got a notification that there was a lockdown drill,바카라� Duran said. 바카라�So safety for our kids is really important.바카라�

Phyllis Zeno, a 65-year-old grandmother from Maricopa, said she was thrilled to hear Harris' message of unity and her policy positions, especially on affordable health care and reproductive rights.

바카라�Her message to me, it wasn't just hope, but renewed faith in democracy, that we can do this,바카라� Zeno said.

Arizona is represented by Democrat Mark Kelly in the US Senate, who has won two tough races in the politically divided states and whom Harris passed over as a running mate this week.

In choosing Walz over Kelly, Harris may have lost the chance to win over people like Gonzalo Leyva, a 49-year-old landscaper in Phoenix. Leyva plans to vote for Trump but says he would have backed a Harris-Kelly ticket.

바카라�I prefer Kelly like 100 times,바카라� said Leyva, a lifelong Democrat who became an independent at the beginning of Trump's term in office. 바카라�I don't think he's that extreme like the other guys.바카라�

In Arizona, every vote will be critical. The state is no stranger to nail-biter races, including in 2020 when Biden bested Trump by fewer than 11,000 votes. Both parties are bracing for a similar photo finish this year.

Harris acknowledged how tough the race will be as she and Walz toured a campaign office in North Phoenix Friday afternoon and thanked volunteers, who were making signs with sayings such as 바카라�This Mamala is Voting for Kamala바카라� and 바카라�Kamala and the Coach.바카라� (Walz has been a high school football coach.)

She also emphasised it during the rally.

바카라�As exciting as this is, we cannot lose sight of a really important fact: We are definitely running as the underdog,바카라� Harris said.

Democrats are confident Harris is in solid shape in the state even without Kelly on the ticket. The senator plans to remain a strong advocate for Harris and is already mentioned for possible Cabinet posts or other prominent roles should the vice president ascend to the Oval Office.

바카라�What this is about is who works harder. That's it,바카라� Kelly said at the rally. 바카라�It is as simple as that.바카라�

Arizona is something of a magnet for Midwesterners seeking to escape the cold. So, several observers say, Walz may still play well there. The governor himself noted that during his opening remarks for Harris, saying: 바카라�I'm like a damn snowman, I'm melting here.바카라�

Scott Snyder, who moved to Phoenix three years ago from Detroit, wasn't too familiar with Kelly's background or his politics, but said Harris made the right choice with Walz.

바카라�He reminds me a lot of my dad,바카라� said Snyder, an electrician. 바카라�You see pictures of him out there coaching high school football. That's something that resonates with me. You see him out there duck hunting. Same thing. That's fairly common in Michigan, where I'm from.바카라�

Arizona was reliably Republican until Trump's combative approach to politics went national.

In 2016, Trump won Arizona, then quickly started feuding with the late Republican Sen. John McCain, a political icon in the state. That sparked a steady exodus of educated, moderate Republicans from the GOP and toward Democrats in top-of-the-ticket contests.

In 2018, Democrats won an open Senate race in the state, foreshadowing Kelly's and Biden's wins in 2020. In 2022, Kelly won again, and Democrats swept the top three statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state, defeating Republican candidates who hewed to Trump's style and his lies about fraud costing him the 2020 presidential election.

Chuck Coughlin, a Republican strategist and former McCain staffer, said the same voters who tipped the state to Democrats in the past few cycles remain lukewarm, at best, on Trump.

바카라�Trump's not doing anything to embrace that segment of the electorate,바카라� he said.

Meanwhile, there was a fresh reminder of yet another liability for Harris when she was interrupted by Gaza protesters.

Harris said she has been clear that 바카라�now is the time to get a cease-fire deal바카라� to end fighting between Israel and Hamas that has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza. She stressed that she and Biden 바카라�are working around the clock every day to get that cease-fire deal done and bring the hostages home.바카라�

Harris added, 바카라�I respect your voices, but we are here to now talk about this race in 2024.바카라�

She responded differently earlier this week when Gaza protesters interrupted her during a Detroit-area rally. She talked over the protesters.