TRUMP IN ARIZONA
President heaps praise on McSally during raucous rally in Mesa
Relishing the Arizona love, President Donald Trump fired up thousands of loyal Republican voters Friday night by reminding them of his “America First” wins and casting Arizona’s race for the open U.S. Senate seat as a referendum on his presidency.
The crowd of more than 6,000 people roared as he made a blockbuster entrance on Marine One with Rep. Martha McSally, the Republican Senate hopeful and retired U.S. Air Force combat by his side.
“In just 18 days the people of Arizona are going to send Martha McSally, a great woman — I will tell you, I know her well — ... to the United States Senate to protect your jobs, defend your borders and continue making America great again.”
He later said: “Vote for Martha McSally. It will be the
second-greatest vote you ever cast. The first-greatest vote was for me.”
The crowd roared again.
Trump and McSally’s post-sunset arrival followed warm-up speeches by state Republicans who warned what could happen to Arizona and the country if Democratic Party bosses and out-of-state liberal billionaires are successful in electing their candidates.
The president targeted Arizona’s Senate race to turn out conservative voters to help McSally ride to victory over her Democratic challenger, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, in the Nov. 6 election.
The McSally vs. Sinema race is one of the nation’s most competitive and the candidates are essentially deadlocked. Early voting is underway.
Speaking to a capacity crowd inside a Mesa airplane hangar, Trump painted a dark portrait of the stakes of the midterm elections. He did not mention, by name or by suggestion, either outgoing U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., or the late six-term Sen. John McCain, also R-Ariz., who died Aug. 25 after a 13month battle with brain cancer.
Trump warned that Democrats would thwart his agenda, raise taxes, prevent his signature border wall, support open borders and “free welfare to illegals” while supporting “radical socialism” at the hands of Democratic party bosses.
The crowd’s boos reverberated through the hangar, which was draped with American and Arizona flags.
As he took the stage, the president raved about McSally’s military service and ability to fly aircraft.
Trump cast Sinema as a liberal extremist so far out of the mainstream, a vote for her was a “wasted vote, but more importantly, it’s a dangerous vote” for Democratic party bosses, he said.
Trump has headlined similar rallies for GOP candidates in competitive swing races and appeared in metro Phoenix as part of a barnstorm of Western states to bolster enthusiasm for House and Senate candidates.
But how his appearance affects Arizona’s race to replace Flake — a GOP Trump critic who the president drove out of a re-election bid — remains to be seen.
The president’s visit may have only reinforced already-held positions but could motivate Republicans to turn out on Election Day, Republican political consultant Bert Coleman said.
Undecided voters who like Trump’s agenda may be persuaded to commit to McSally, he said. For undecided voters unhappy with Trump and Republican leadership, the performance may have fortified their decision to vote for Sinema, whom Trump castigated as a “radical liberal.”
“This will reinforce the positives, but it will also reinforce the negatives,” Coleman said. “I do think it will energize the president’s base of support to turn out to vote.”
McSally and Sinema are battling over independent voters, female voters, who tend to hold onto their early ballots longer, and moderate Republicans.
Arizona voters are deeply divided on how they view the polarizing president. He won the state’s 2016 presidential-preference election by 3.5 percentage points over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
McSally, who attended a fundraiser and event at Luke Air Force Base before the rally, made the calculated risk that Trump’s validation-by-rally will lead to a surge in turnout among voters who traditionally do not vote in midterm elections, when the party in power traditionally loses power, political consultants said.
“If you don’t like what’s going on in Washington and you don’t like the partisan and crazy tone, I don’t know that bringing in Trump helps,” said Andy Barr, a Democratic strategist not working on the race. “But they seem to have made the calculus that if they just get Republicans to vote for McSally, they’re fine with the downside of bringing in Trump.”
The president’s bombastic style and political agenda appealed to the crush of conservative voters on Friday, who eagerly awaited the president arrival with a festive spirit that coalesced to cheers when opening speakers invoked his name, and his signature border wall.
Many in the crowd donned his campaign’s signature red “Make America Great Again” caps, “Trump for President 2020” shirts and patriotic-inspired outfits and flag-mirrored sunglasses.
Many slept in their cars overnight to secure a spot for the rally; others weathered the heat beforehand. About a dozen voters interviewed by
said they had already planned to vote for McSally, regardless of the rally. One said she was “warming” to McSally because of Trump’s backing. They cited her Republican label, her military service and Trump’s primary-election night endorsement.
Ron Bayer, a Glendale Republican, said he supported McSally before the Trump and supports her even more after his appearance.
“I’m all in,” said Bayer, a 66-year-old-retiree who worked in the investment business. “It fires up the home team, is what it does. This is the pep rally before that big game.”
Sandee Vanwinkle of Gold Canyon is a member of the Green Party. But she is voting for McSally because of her support of the president.
“I really like Trump. I like what he’s doing for the nation,” said Vanwinkle, 65.