Trump Takes Resounding Lead In Critical Sun Belt State

With the general election just six weeks away, former President Donald Trump appears to be leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the crucial battleground state of Arizona.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Trump ahead by 6 percentage points, capturing 48% compared to Harris’ 42%. The poll also highlights a closer contest in Maricopa County, Arizona’s largest, where Trump’s lead narrows to 47% against Harris’ 43%. In Arizona, nearly half of Latino voters, about 47%, support Vice President Harris, according to the statewide poll. Former President Trump has secured 35% of the Latino vote in the state.

According to the USA Today poll, Trump’s current lead in Arizona poses challenges for Harris, who initially experienced a surge in the state’s polls after she replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic frontrunner. In the last two presidential elections, Arizona has been a competitive battleground state.

Both Harris and Trump are actively campaigning in the state; Harris recently visited Douglas, AZ, while Trump hosted a rally in Tucson earlier this month. Both campaigns have dispatched their top surrogates to Arizona in recent weeks.

Phoenix, Arizona / USA- Feb 19 2020: President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Veterans Memorial Coliseum

In 2016, Trump narrowly won the state, continuing Arizona’s trend of voting Republican since 1996. However, in 2020, the state flipped blue for the first time in over two decades, with Biden winning by a slim margin. Biden’s victory was attributed to changing demographics, including an increase in Latino voters and suburban voters shifting away from the GOP. Arizona’s electoral votes played a critical role in the overall outcome of the 2020 election.

According to the poll, inflation and the economy emerged as the primary concern for 27% of respondents. When questioned about the economic conditions in Arizona, only 5% described them as excellent, while 26% considered them good. Both “fair” and “poor” ratings stood at roughly 33% each. Overall, a majority of respondents, 52%, felt that they were worse off financially than four years ago, in contrast to the 39% who reported being better off.

Immigration has emerged as a significant concern for voters in Arizona, with 21% citing it as their top issue, according to the survey. Trump has focused on stringent immigration measures in his campaign, pledging to reinstate his previous hardline policies and introduce even tougher actions, including mass deportations. The Biden administration has been criticized for its management of the border, which has seen record levels of encounters since the pandemic.

Just earlier today, acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner revealed that over 13,000 noncitizens with murder convictions are currently living in the U.S. after crossing the border under the Biden-Harris administration. The revelation also disclosed that over 15,800 noncitizens convicted of sexual assault are similarly free. In total, ICE is tracking 662,566 noncitizens with criminal records, including 435,719 convicted criminals.

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The situation has fueled criticism of the administration’s immigration policies, with Republican lawmakers calling for reform, particularly concerning sanctuary city policies. Democrats have raised concerns about potential harm to immigrant communities due to close collaboration between local and federal authorities.

Ana Keck, who supported Biden in the 2020 elections, has expressed a change of heart and intends to vote for Trump in the upcoming election. Keck cites her dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party’s management of the economy and foreign affairs, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as the primary reasons for her decision. “I just don’t think that they’ve come up with the change that they said that they were going to come up with,” stated Keck, a 39-year-old resident of Scottsdale while reflecting on her disillusionment with the Democrats.

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