U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland delivered a message on the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention — one that may sway Indigenous voters in the swing state of Arizona.
The first-ever Native American Cabinet secretary leaned into her Southwest roots during her brief speech on the Chicago stage.
“I learned that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet,” Haaland said on Thursday. “Donald Trump never learned that lesson.”
Haaland, from the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico, claimed that the former president made it easier for big companies to poison the earth’s air and water and she reminded delegates that Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax.”
“An American president must lead the world in tackling climate change,” said Haaland. “We need a president who understands that assignment. That’s Kamala Harris.”
Arizona has 85 delegates.
Four of them among this year’s Democratic Party delegation are tribal leaders, including Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose, Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores and Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis of the Gila River Indian Community.
Haaland came to Arizona to campaign on behalf of President Joe Biden in June — before he stepped aside and Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee. Meanwhile, Trump returned to the battleground state this week for appearances in Cochise County and Glendale.
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Arizona’s so-called fake electors cleared a significant hurdle in court in their attempt to dismiss the criminal case against them by Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes under an Arizona law designed to prevent politically motivated prosecutions.
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Arizona lawmakers want to make sure non-governmental groups aren’t confusing voters with election mail that looks like it’s coming from county recorders and other election officials.
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The Show sat down with former state school Superintendent Jaime Molera with the firm Molera Alvarez and Matt Grodsky with Matters of State Strategies.
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Republican lawmakers want to bar the Arizona attorney general from bringing charges against county supervisors who refuse to certify future election results.
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Critics: GOP bill to strengthen protections against political prosecutions will help 'fake electors'A bill moving through the state Legislature would expand existing protections for Arizonans from politically motivated prosecutions and could provide new recourse for the so-called “fake electors” who stand accused of trying to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.