VP Harris holds reproductive freedom event in Phoenix on anniversary of abortion decision
By Alaina Kwan
Updated: Jun. 24, 2024 at 4:24 PM CDT
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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Vice President Kamala Harris is holding a reproductive freedom campaign event in Phoenix on Monday, the anniversary of the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.
The event will focus on reproductive freedom, specifically for the Latino community. Vice President Harris has held more than 85 events focused on reproductive freedom, according to the Biden campaign. She visited Arizona in April and also spoke about abortion rights.
This is the third major visit the desert has seen in June, ahead of the CNN Presidential debate on Thursday. Former President Donald Trump came to Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, followed by First Lady Jill Biden, who made trips to Phoenix and Tucson.
Political consultant Marcus Dell’Artino said both campaigns are making Arizona voters a priority this election cycle.
“It’s an opportunity to reinforce you’re messaging before the debate, your messaging obviously during the debate, and then you know we’re messaging after the debate, and so you’re trying to really set in the voters’ mind what your campaign is about before during and after,” he said.
Dell’Artino told Arizona’s Family he’s not surprised by these frequent visits. He said anytime there’s a debate on the horizon, it’s a common campaign strategy to make frequent trips to battleground states to try and excite voters.
However, since Arizona is a swing state, Dell’Artino said both campaigns know anything can change between now and November. He said securing the polling and leaving room for no surprises is a goal both campaigns want to accomplish night now, and he believes Arizona voters will be the key to that.
”I would argue that the road to the White House goes through Arizona. We were such a toss-up state last year, such a tight election, there are not many states left on the map to get to 270,” Dell Artino said. “There is another strategy where it could work out using east coast only states for the Biden campaign to win, but it’s a lot more difficult than you think it is. I think where Arizona goes is probably the way the White House is going to go.”
Dell’Artino said this is only the beginning of a long road to securing the White House in November. After the CNN Presidential Debate, he says campaigns will focus on voter excitement leading up to this summer’s Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Watch the CNN Presidential Debate live on 3TV and CBS 5 on Thursday at 6 p.m. Arizona’s Family will be live fact-checking the debate on our app and website.