PHOENIX, Arizona — Republicans in Arizona are zeroing in on issues like undocumented immigration, rising inflation and potential fraud ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.
Known as a "swing state," where Republicans and Democrats receive an almost equal amount of support from voters, Arizona has been recognized as one of the key barometers of how the US will choose its leaders.
Related Stories
Early voting already kicked off but voters can still cast their ballots until Tuesday, November 8.
Nancy Barto, a Republican candidate running for a seat at the state senate, noted that their fear of getting cheated in the upcoming polls has actually become a point of motivation for supporters.
"We’re already seeing great involvement by conservatives, Republicans, and independents that are voting republican in the coming elections to overcome that doubt," Barto told a group of journalists at the Turning Point USA Super Saturday Event.
Organizers here also noted the presence of foreign media, falsely claiming these are representatives sent by the Democratic Party
Journalists initially had trouble reaching out to members of the crowd for interviews— Kaycee Valmonte (@kayceevalmonte) November 7, 2022
Media distrust
Around 40 to 50 people showed up at the Doubletree Ranch rally held in Scottsdale. Organizers at the event noted the presence of foreign media who stood out with their face masks, and falsely claimed that the journalists were sent by the Democratic Party.
Suzy, one of the Republicans who agreed to speak to journalists, later expressed frustration over media’s coverage of the political party they support.
"Our message doesn't get out because the media is an extended arm of the Democratic Party," Suzy claimed. "All the big media are literally going hand in hand in bed with the Democrats."
California State University Associate Professor Meredith Conroy noted in a column that Republicans do not fully trust the media except if it’s Fox News.
Electoral integrity
Republicans in Arizona cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process even if another Republican is leading the Maricopa County Recorder, an office tasked to oversee the elections.
"There have been many anomalies that have shown through many different respects throughout the last couple of years which is why we passed very protective laws to address those and we need to do that more to make sure that people can easily vote but make it hard to cheat," Barto tells Philstar.com.
Republican candidates in Arizona are among those running for office who have made claims of fraud in the 2020 polls a key message in their campaign.
His supporters echo a narrative that supporters of Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. brought up after his loss in the vice-presidential race in 2016.
"Trump went to sleep on election night with congratulatory calls from everyone… he went to sleep believing he was the president and he wakes up and there was this massive dump of Democratic votes," Suzy said.
"Wouldn’t that make you skeptical? I feel like any logical person would say something’s wrong there."
READ: 'Election denialism' stalks US midterm polls, puts democracies abroad at risk
However, County Recorder Stephen Richer maintains that the US election in 2020 was “safe and secure.”
"It goes against my moral code to lie about that and if that means I can’t be in good standing in the Republican Party, then that’s sad… I don't think that a party can be built on any one thing, much less a falsehood, and I don’t think it can be built on any one person," Richer said in a briefing with journalists on Friday.
Richer: “I don’t think that a party can be built on any one thing, much less a falsehood, and I don’t think it can be built on any one person.” @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/oGAQ3i0esq
— Kaycee Valmonte (@kayceevalmonte) November 6, 2022
Undocumented immigration, rising inflation rate
Undocumented immigration and rising inflation are also key points for Republicans.
Arizona is a border state, right next to Mexico, and Republican supporters at the rally emphasized support for building a wall — supposedly to keep foreigners from coming in with drugs such as fentanyl.
On the other hand, addressing inflation rates remains important to Arizonans. George Hammond, director of the Economic and Business Center at the University of Arizona, noted that in state capital Phoenix, interest rates are already outpacing the rest of the nation.
In a separate briefing with journalists, Dr. Hammond said this was due to skyrocketing house prices. And even as prices rice, Arizona's minimum wage is below the national average.
--
This story was made possible through the International Reporting Tour hosted by the US Department of State's Foreign Press Center.