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Published Oct 13, 2024 • 3 minute read
KINGMAN, Ariz. — Once you leave Phoenix, head out on Interstate 10 and then head north through Lake Havasu and into Route 66 territory like Oatman, you notice the change. The farther away from Phoenix you get, the more obvious it is that you’re in Trump country.
Maricopa County, which is home to Phoenix and Scottsdale, went Democrat in 2020 and Kamala Harris is putting a lot of effort into winning there and in Pima County, home to Tucson. Donald Trump is hoping to win back some ground in Maricopa where he did very well in 2016 but will spend Sunday afternoon in Prescott, not far from Sedona.
The issues that Arizona voters are grappling with will sound familiar to any Canadian: The cost of living, a housing crisis, immigration, and the general state of the economy.
“The economy sucks right now,” Kenney says on Saturday night in one of the craft breweries along the main drag in Kingman.
The Biden administration, much like the Trudeau government, has spent months trying to convince voters that the economy is doing well. They point to a national unemployment rate of 4.1% and falling inflation as proof points.
In Arizona, the unemployment rate is even lower, sitting at just 3.4%, but like in Canada, most of the jobs being created are in the government sector.
However, the public — aka voters — just don’t feel like Bidenomics is working for them. Biden’s biggest mistake may have been in putting his name onto his economic plan, one that Harris has not only defended but now has to wear.
Is it fair to blame the sitting government for inflation?
Yes and no.
On some issues, the sitting government does take a portion of the blame, not so in others. Yet, when voters go to the polls, they will blame the person, or party sitting in front of them.
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Inflation has cooled, but that doesn’t mean prices have come down. Groceries cost more than they did three years ago and while not as bad as in Canada, the cost of housing has become an increasing worry.
Home prices in places like Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa metroplex have increased dramatically, especially in the last four years. Since 2020, home prices in this area have increased by 47%, a rate that far outpaces income growth.
“It’s out of control, everything is so expensive,” a patron at Judy’s Saloon in Oatman opines as customers gripe about the cost of living, housing in particular.
Donald Trump’s message to voters concerned about the cost of housing, the cost of groceries, and the general malaise of the economy is simple. He can look them in the eye and tell them the economy was better when he was president and will be better if he is elected in November.
Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has to convince voters that she is the agent of change without being too critical of the administration she has been a part of for the last 3 ½ years. She needs to convince voters concerned about the economy and their financial well-being that she’s the change they need.
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As voters ponder these issues, they are also bombarded down here with the never ending drumbeat of attacks launched by all campaigns and the organizations supporting them. These ads could convince you that Mother Theresa was a crook who should be locked up.
On top of that, the social media circus is quick to jump on the latest faux pas by either camp. On Saturday, it was Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, not being able to load his shotgun after inviting the media along on a hunting trip to show he can connect to everyday American men.
Campaigns are intense in the U.S. of A. and the last three weeks will only see that intensity increase.
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