VP to visit: Mike Pence is returning to Arizona next week.
Vice President Mike Pence is returning to Arizona next week, a visit he surely hopes will bolster President Donald Trump’s standing in the battleground state battered by record levels of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that show no signs of abating.
The visit comes fresh off Trump’s visit to Arizona this week and as national polls show him trailing Democrat Joe Biden in a state critical to Trump’s reelection bid.
Pence will travel to Tucson on Tuesday, where he will give remarks as part of his faith-centered tour called “Faith in America.” There, he will seek to court voters of faith for the president in the solidly-Democratic Pima County.
Pence will then meet with Gov. Doug Ducey in Yuma, where the pair will discuss the efforts the state is taking to combat COVID-19 in the city, which has emerged as one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the state.
Yuma County reported a total of 310 coronavirus cases on May 15, when Ducey’s
stay-at-home order expired, according to state data.
Cases have increased in Yuma County
by nearly 1,500% since then, to 4,915, as of Wednesday. Statewide, cases increased by 355% during that time period.
Pence and Ducey, who both served as Republican governors together, speak frequently to discuss the latest on COVID-19 in Arizona.
A spokesman for the governor did not immediately respond to The Arizona Republic’s request for information about the governor’s planned remarks to Pence next week.
Republic reporter Alison Steinbach contributed to this report.
Have news to share about Arizona’s U.S. senators or national politics? Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.
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