Mesa was the second stop in a three-city tour by President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign to underscore the administration’s investments in infrastructure.
Campaign co–chair Mitch Landrieu said it’s important for voters to consider the long-term impact of those initiatives.
“President Biden made promises to Arizona, and on top of the $7 billion that he sent to the state with the 609 projects,” said Landrieu, “We're investing in water, we're investing in manufacturing of chips. Arizona is benefitting in a huge way from President Biden’s vision.”
Putting federal money to work at the state and local level, Landrieu said, is central to that — and the hope is that voters will agree.
“When you have the receipts, which President Biden has, you can show them that when he came into office, you know, the previous administration lost 2.5 million jobs,” he said. “Joe Biden has now created 15.5 million jobs – 348,000 in Arizona alone.”
Landrieu toured part of Mesa’s Main Street with Mayor John Giles, a Republican who said the city is an example of how federal dollars can bolster local government projects.
“I think everyone in Arizona, regardless of your political party, can appreciate the significance of investment in infrastructure,” said Giles. “Even the most conservative people I know would say, yeah, the role of government is to invest in infrastructure, streets and bridges and airports and transportation systems. So I think those projects speak for themselves.”
While voters might not think of infrastructure as a pressing matter, Giles it connects with more hot-button issues like water or education.
