Arizona is a swing state in the 2024 election, which means the Grand Canyon State has become incredibly popular for the two presidential candidates.
The Harris and Trump campaigns have held several rallies in Arizona over the past month.
The state only has 11 electoral votes - a fraction of the 270 required to secure the presidency - but political analysts have said Arizona’s swing-state status means it could make all the difference.
In addition to hosting rallies in Arizona, the candidates and their surrogates have been accompanied by celebrities of both political and Hollywood fame.
Phoenix-based pollster Mike O’Neil said these rallies aren’t really intended to sway voters this late in the campaign; the candidates are trying to instead encourage voters to actually show up at the polls.
“In a race this close, you throw everything you have at the voters,” he said, “you corral every candidate, quasi-candidate, former candidate, celebrity, everybody you can to go out and excite the voters.”
The same is true for celebrity endorsements, like those from Taylor Swift and Elon Musk.
They’re not likely to sway voters who’ve already made their decision, but there’s a good chance they might sway an undecided voter or encourage someone on the fence about voting to do so, according to O’Neil.
And regardless of political party, O’Neil said these rallies all have the same core message:
“First of all, vote now,” he said. “Don’t vote later, vote now - cause we’re into early voting season. And the second thing is go out and make sure your friends and family vote as well.”
Early voting began in Arizona last week, and the election is on Tuesday, November Fifth.
Check out KJZZ’s Voter Guide to learn more about the candidates and races in the Nov. 5 election.
