Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk spoke at an Arizona rally Sunday, telling the people that this is the battleground state that can determine the future of America.
“You live in the state that is now the battleground, 50-50; hundreds of millions of Democrat dollars are coming into this state because as Arizona goes, America goes,” Kirk said. “You live in the place where everything you do matters. You live in the state where – if America is going to survive as a constitutional republic – separation of powers, independent judiciary, respect for the unborn, protection of our children; ” it’s all going to happen here.”
At the “Unite and Win” rally, Kirk claimed there is a movement to turn Arizona into the next Colorado or California. If it succeeds, there will be “no way to ever get back to conservative majorities in the U.S. Senate.” He said the way to protect Arizona and the country is to put in the work to get Republicans voted into office.
Kirk said Arizona has “legit conservatives” running for governor and Senate in Kari Lake and Blake Masters, and the people can have that leadership if they take action and “make our own hope happen.”
When it comes to registered voters in Arizona, there is a nearly even three-way split between parties. According to election data from the Arizona secretary of state’s office, there were 4,156,067 registered voters during the August 2022 primary election. Republicans hold a slight lead, making up 34 percent of the voter population. However, all major parties are within single0-digit percentage points of each other, with Independents coming in a close second at 33 percent and Democrats bringing up the rear at 30.
The 2020 Arizona election results show a divided state, with counties including Maricopa, Coconino, and Pima going blue. While some counties are usually blue in Arizona, Maricopa voted red in 2016 and 2012. The rest of Arizona, including Pinal, Navajo, Yavapai, and Yuma counties, are all exclusively red areas of the state.
As for Kirk’s claims that Democrats are spending big in Arizona, the current Senate race seems to support that claim. According to the Federal Election Commission, in 2022, incumbent Mark Kelly has raised and spent more than all other candidates combined. Republican nominee Masters has spent $3,400,829 as of July, which is roughly one-tenth the amount Kelly has spent.
Cronkite News reported that Kelly had received $39 million in campaign contributions as of April, the second-highest in the nation among Senate hopefuls. The senator also has abundant “cash on hand” to pour into the campaign. However, Republicans are not without funds in this race. The Republican PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, has reserved $14 million for political advertising in Arizona that will reportedly start running in September.
Furthermore, Axios Phoenix reported that national Democrats are “all in” for Hobbs’s race for Arizona governor. The Democratic Governors Association transferred $1.5 million to the Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) on top of the roughly $4 million the party has already spent on airtime and advertising for Hobbs. Yet, this is less than the amount being spent on Lake. The Republican Governors Association has pre-booked $10.6 million worth of airtime for the general election.
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Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Charlie Kirk” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Arizona State Capitol” by Wars. CC BY-SA 3.0.
