Recognizing that the “Path to the Presidency” may “Run through Maricopa County,” the theme from all the speakers at the Harris/Walz rally at the Talking Sticks Resort event today (October 31, 2024,) headlined by the Democratic Presidential Nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, the renowned Band Los Tigres del Norte, Governor Katie Hobbs, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Former Arizona House Representative Gabby Giffords, Senator Mark Kelly, and Representative/Senate Nominee Ruben Gallego, to the over 7,000 enthusiastic supporters that came was to Get Out the Vote.
Over and over again the speakers including the Los Tigres del Norte Band Leaders implored the audience to vote now for Democratic Candidates up and down the ticket if they have not already done so.
They also reminded people that In person for early voting ends tomorrow November 1, 2024, and to bring your mail-in ballot if you have it filled out and turn it in at any polling location. Volunteer by knocking on doors, making phone calls, talking to people, and convincing them to turn out and vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because they are the team that will work for the people, usher in programs to lift people up and move the country forward, protect Democracy, restore Women’s Reproductive Freedom, and safeguard the National Economic gains achieved during the Biden/Harris Administration.
Otherwise, all the speakers warned, Donald Trump, the person who is a convicted criminal and has called America “the garbage can of the world,” will usher in a new dystopian age of American Fascism and unending chaos where personal enemies are persecuted, women’s health care rights are a thing of the past, the economy will tank, and Democracy will become a forgotten (if Trump’s MAGA supporters get to write the history books) memory.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero passionately delivered her case for people to turn out to vote in both English and Spanish, saying:
“It is wonderful to gather here today to welcome the next President of the United States. We need to reach out to family, neighbors, even the people at the grocery store. We need to knock on doors and make phone calls and ask our Latino siblings to help” turn out the vote for the Harris/Walz Ticket.”
“Donald Trump is dividing our country…He calls us (women) trash. We know what he and his enablers will do. Mass Deportation and a National Abortion Ban for starters…Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are for you…I am asking you to do everything you can to smash the highest ceiling and send Kamala Harris to the White House…”
Remembering her parents, she blasted Trump for calling her hardworking parents, her, and her children ‘the worst,’ saying “it is time to say goodbye to hate and division…Because when we fight, we win. When we vote, we win.”
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego followed Romero and declared “Phoenix is Harris Country.”
The Mayor continued, saying, “We have one job to do. Get out the vote. There is nothing scarier than four years of Donald Trump…My Fellow Arizonans…In five days we have the chance to say loudly, we’re not going back. It is time to turn the page to a new generation of leaders who want to lift the middle class and those who want to be part of the middle class.“
Ms. Gallego also spoke of a future where women’s health care rights are protected, “a future where it is cooler to read books than ban them” and the economic legacy of the Biden/Harris Administration like the CHIPS Act, which Mr. Trump has threatened, that has contributed 13,000 manufacturing and 42,000 construction mostly union jobs is continued.
Gallego closed with “It’s time for a New Way Forward and I know Kamala Harris can lead the way.”
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs appeared next and relayed “We are excited because Arizona is going to send Vice President Harris to the White House, Ruben Gallego to the Senate, and we are going to flip the Arizona State Legislature.”
The Governor reminded the audience that “Everything is at risk because of the chaos caused by Donald Trump.”
Remembering the threats to herself and her family while Secretary of State when Donald Trump tried to steal the election in Arizona with his Big Election Denying Lies, the Governor told the audience that every vote matters. Recalling her 17,000 vote margin victory over Trump’s chief election denier “Kari Lake,” Ms. Hobbs said it was because of great Democratic grassroots that propelled her to victory, enabling her to help achieve:
- A repeal of the 1864 abortion law.
- The canceling of medical debt for thousands of Arizonans.
- Positive job growth.
- Middle-class tax cuts.
In her closing, the Governor framed the stakes as “The fight for our democracy did not end in 2022. The nation’s eyes will be on Arizona. It is us who will decide if Kamala Harris or Donald Trump will be the next President. It is us who will decide if …It is time to put an end to Trump’s darkness. It is time to move beyond the division and bullying and chart a new way forward with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. They will lift people up and not push them down.”
“Knock doors, make phone calls, do everything you can to elect Democrats up and down the ballot…Fight, Fight, Fight to bring this race home. Every single door we knock on. Every single phone call we make. Every single person we talk to will matter. If we do this over the next five days, we will restore Democracy, protect abortion rights, flip the Arizona Legislature for the first time in half a century, and banish the chaos…Let’s go win this thing.”
The husband and wife team of Former Arizona House Representative Gabby Giffords and Senator Mark Kelly spoke next.
Giffords: Thanked Joe Biden for always checking up on her, saying “Joe Biden is a Great President and Kamala Harris will be a great President.“
Kelly reminded voters that a President Harris would protect Roe v Wade and work to lower costs for the American People while Mr. Trump would “jack up” prices for the average American by about $4,000 and take away the CHIPS Act that would cost “tens ion thousands of jobs” in Arizona.”
Saying “Donald Trump has never served anyone but himself” and “Kamala Harris is ready to be a President for all America,” Kelly, with the chants of the crowd saying VOTE, called on everyone to vote, vote early, and volunteer to help deliver victory.
He closed with “This community in South Phoenix has the power to decide who the next President is and if we work harder, we’re going to turn the page and move this country forward.”
Band members from Los Tigres Del Norte also got into the turn out the vote act, conveying, “We’re proud to be here to support President Harris and Governor Walz.” “Make sure your friends, family, and neighbors have a plan to vote in person by November 5.”
Representative Ruben Gallego was the last speaker before Vice President Harris and said, “Arizonans are ready to make their voices heard.”
Marveling that he may become the “First Latino Senator in the history of Arizona,”” Gallego pledged to work for all Arizonans, saying, ” We have so much in common ” like protecting womens rights and “giving our kids the best possible future.”
Recounting his rise in public service, he remarked that “Only in America can a kid who slept on the floor rise to become a United States Senator…Only in America. Every kid in Arizona deserves the chance to make it like I had… Let’s fight” for them.
To chants of Kamala and the Beyonce song “Freedom,” Vice President Kamala Harris walked on the stage and first saluted Ruben Gallego, asking the crowd to send him to the Senate.
She also thanked all the dignitaries from both parties that were present like the earlier speakers and Republicans like Mesa Mayor John Giles and former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake.
To cheers, she asked the people “Are we ready to do this? Are you ready to vote?”
After going over the voting calendar for the remaining five days on the campaign, Harris, again to roaring applause said “Make no mistake, we will win.”
The Vice President continued, delivering pretty much the stump speech she has given for the last couple of weeks.
On making a break from the past, the Vice President said:
“When you know what we stand for, we know what to fight for…We have an opportunity to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump…We know who he is. That is not what we are. It is time for a new generation of leadership. I am ready to offer that leadership as the next President of the United States.”
On her determination to fight for the American People, she said, “There is nothing in the world that will stand in my way,” if the people elect her President.
She discussed portions of her New Way Forward-Opportunity Economy Agenda which include:
- middle-class tax cuts
- going after price gougers
- affordable housing
- Expand Medicare to include home care.
- cutting child care, small business, and health care costs, declaring the later “Should be a right, not just a privilege.”
When protestors on the War in Gaza interrupted the event, the Vice President, in a similar fashion to when it has happened at previous occasions,” said, “We all want this war to end and get the hostages out. I will work on it full time when I am President.”
Calling Donald Trump “Unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power” who “scapegoats immigrants” and vows to help women his way “whether they like it or not,” Harris said “On day one, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. On day one, when I am elected, I will walk into the to-do list.”
The Vice President also warned that a Trump return with a Republican Congress would mean the implementation of Project 2025’s agenda including a National Abortion Ban and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare.)
Saying the government has no business telling a woman what to do with their bodies, the Vice President repeated her promise that she would sign a restoration of Roe v Wade if it came to her desk.
Ms. Harris pointed out to the 7,000 spectators that recently revealed video of House Speaker Mike Johnson signaling they would repeal the popular health care law if Trump came back and the Republicans kept control of the House and gained the majority in the Senate.
She also reminded the audience to vote for Project 139, the measure that would fully restore women’s healthcare choices in Arizona.
In her closing remarks, Harris vowed to be a unifying figure, saying:
“As president, I pledge to you. To seek common ground and common sense solutions to the challenges (facing America.) I will tell you, I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. I pledge to you to listen to experts. To listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make. And I pledge to you to listen to people who disagree and unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy of them He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table. And I pledge to you to always put country over party and be a President for all Americans.”
Saying “it is time to turn the page on Donald Trump,” she called on the people, who shouted ‘USA, USA’ who love our country, the highest sign of patriotism to “fight for it,” “build community and coalitions,” “bring people together,” and get out the vote by “knocking on doors, texting people, and reaching out to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and classmates.”
Reminding everyone that “We have so much more in common than what separates us” and her belief in the “Promise of America” in everyone she sees, including the new generation of young leaders that were present at the event, Ms. Harris told everyone that “their vote is their voice and their voice is their power,” and it was time to “make their voices heard” during the next five days in the political fight for opportunity, freedom, and the promise of America.
Discover more from Blog for Arizona
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Great story but it is Los Tigres, not Los Tigros.
Thanks, corrected to Los Tigres del Norte.