With several All-Star members of Arizona’s Democratic team along with Republican Mayor John Giles and the famed band La Original Banda El Limón, the Harris/Walz Arizona Campaign capped off the 2024 campaign season with a rousing and festive final Get Out the Vote Rally at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix that captivated the jubilant audience.
The event is one of a series of Get Out the Vote-GOTV Organizing Events the Harris/Walz team has organized across all the battleground states across the country this evening in a final push to turn out voters for election day tomorrow (November 5, 2024.)
Featured speakers included Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Arizona Democratic Party Chairperson Yolanda Bejarano, former Representative Gabby Giffords, House District Three Nominee Yassamin Ansari, Senator Mark Kelly, Mesa Mayor John Giles, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, Representative Greg Stanton, House Candidate Dr. Amish Shah, and Representative/Senate Nominee Ruben Gallego.
Before the event, many of the speakers had spent the day with constituents and volunteers working feverishly in reaching out to the community to increase Democratic voter turnout tomorrow.
Saying “We are finally at the finish line and all eyes are on Arizona,” Democratic Party Chairperson Yolanda Bejarano called out Arizona Democratic down-ballot candidates and leaders like Kirsten Engel, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and Ruben Gallego for leading the way in promoting water, border, and political security.
Telling the audience that Vice President Harris has “a to-do list or priority that will actually help the American people, Bejarano said “She (Harris) will be a President for all Americans. She will bring in a new generation of leadership. We need to turn the page to Vice President Harris’s New Way Forward.“
Representative Greg Stanton and Congressional Nominees Yassamin Ansari and Dr. Amish Shah followed Ms. Bejarano.
In his comments, Representative Stanton continually spoke about what will happen in the next 24 hours starting with:
“In 24 hours, the people in this room are going to send Kamala Harris and Coach Walz to the White House…24. Hours. That’s the time we have left to make the difference here in Arizona, the most important battleground state in the entire United States of America. What are we going to do over the next 24 hours? We’re going to knock on every door. We’re going to make every phone call on our list. We’re going to make sure that every single one of our friends, family members and co-workers has a plan to vote to tomorrow by 7:00 p.m. Because of what you’re going to do, over the next 24 hours, we will deliver Arizona and its 11, electoral votes to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
He also saluted the Harris/Walz team for Arizona calling them “Beautiful” and saying “You killed it” as far as running a stellar campaign operation.
Stanton also said that the people had the power in the next 24 hours to elect Ruben Gallego to the Senate and Kirsten Engel, Yassamin Ansari, Jonathan Nez, and Dr. Amish Shah to the House of Representatives.
Ansari and Shah joined Stanton on the stage.
The former Phoenix Councilwoman and Vice Mayor who, if elected, would be the youngest woman to serve in the next House of Representatives, spoke next and told the audience “I think that this election in particular, we know it’s the most important election of our lifetimes. We know that so much is on the line, but I think especially as young people We have grown up with just unprecedented crisis after unprecedented crisis and we are ready for a real change in leadership. We’re ready for a new way forward. We’re ready for a new generation of leadership in Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
“I cannot tell you how much it means to me to see… leaders, who understand the urgency of the climate crisis. I believe it’s the defining issue of our time. It’s going to affect every aspect of our lives and these are leaders who understand that and have taken action on it and will continue to do so. These are leaders who understand that women should not have to die because men want to play politics. These are leaders who understand that kids should not be shot at school because (of the influence of the NRA.)They want to lift up the middle class. They want to make sure that immigrant communities like, so many of us in this room have opportunities to come to this country and make a better life for themselves and they are the ones who are going to make sure that every single person in this country is represented...I need you now to please go out and tell your friends. Who’s, who’s young in this room? I think everyone. A lot of people are going to change the outcome of this election. we need young people to get out and vote. Young people are going to change the outcome of this election.”
In a tie in the polls with David Schweikert, Dr. Shah then spoke and emphasized how reaching out directly to the people via door-knocking is key to a winning campaign and “This is our opportunity to find every vote. Go out there and speak to your friends. Maybe even those that don’t necessarily think like us all the time.”
After the crowd at the Celebrity Theater was treated to Governor Walz’s speech in Milwaukee and Vice President Harris’s in Pittsburgh, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods spoke next.
On the Harris/Walz ground game, the Mayor said:
“I’ve been involved in politics in Arizona in some fashion for nearly 20 years and let me tell you something. What I have witnessed is the most incredible ground game that I have ever seen in my entire life. Right here in Arizona. More hard work and tireless efforts. Your willingness to knock on every door, your willingness to spend countless hours, phone banking. Your willingness to talk to every family member, friend, and neighbor is going to make sure that Arizona state is blue and that we deliver 11 Electoral College votes to our phenomenal Vice President. My friends. I am proud of the race that we’ve run. I’m proud of the coalition of Democrats Independents and Republicans that we put together… I am proud that because of our collective efforts on Tuesday, November 5th, Kamala Harris is going to shatter that glass ceiling.”
Mayor Kate Gallego followed Mayor Woods and said “Welcome to Phoenix, Harris Country.”
The Mayor praised Harris saying “We have an incredible nominee who will stand up for women’s rights to our Healthcare decisions. Reading books, not Banning them…Passing the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act which has done so much for our community, including bringing incredible solar energy jobs to Phoenix, Arizona. She helped deliver the CHIPS Act which has brought a 65 billion dollar investment to Phoenix, Arizona.”
When Gallego mentioned Trump’s willingness to dismantle the CHIPS Act, she said the Harris line, “We are not going back…We are going to deliver these votes. Thank you, for knocking and texting those last-minute reminders, we got to drive people to the polls tomorrow. If we need to, we will cure every ballot and count every vote.”
Mentioning the Des Moine Poll that showed Harris leading in Iowa, Gallego said, “If Harris could win Iowa, we could do incredible things right here in Phoenix, Arizona.”
She also thanked the Harris/Walz campaign team for “helping the state at every level,” saying thanks to them, we’re going to do incredible things…We’re going to flip the Arizona legislature and give Governor Hobbs a majority.
And we are going to turn Arizona, blue.”
To chants of Katie, Governor Katie Hobbs came to speak next.
Warning that “Every single thing that we care about is at risk in this election. Our Democracy. Our reproductive freedoms, and economy that works for middle-class Arizonans” Hobbs reminded the audience that the only reason the Grand Canyon state is not governed by an 1864 abortion ban and run by one of Donald Trump’s election-denying “Chief Chaos Agent” (KarI Lake) is because of the power of turning out the vote for Democratic candidates.
Saying, “Obviously the choice could not be more clear,” Hobbs called for the people to “put an end to Trump’s darkness” and “To move beyond the division and beyond the bullying and start a New Way forward with Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.To lift people up and not push people down. A commitment for people not just to get by, but to get ahead.”
Calling people to action to help turn out. the vote, Hobbs closed with “Every single door that we knock on. Every phone call we make. And every voter we talked to is going to matter And if you all do this, we will restore our Democracy. We will protect the right to abortion in our state’s Constitution, and we will flip Arizona’s legislature. And we will finally banish the chaos once and for all.”
Former House Representative Gabby Giffords, Senator Mark Kelly, and Mesa Mayor John Giles followed the Governor and appeared together on the stage.
Mayor Giles delivered his remarks first and first spoke of how the late Senator John McCain inspired him to go into public service.
The audience applauded after Giles declared this lifelong Republican is excited to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Praising the Biden/Harris Administration for delivering “for my Conservative community and countless like it,” through the Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS Act, Giles said Harris would build on that progress in “Serving all Americans.”
Giles closed with “If you’re ready for a new generation of leadership, if you’re ready to put adults in the room. If you’re ready, then tomorrow, no matter your party. I urge you to join us in choosing patriotism over politics. Unity over division. And Country over party. Join us in standing up for the rule of law, the Constitution, and our Democracy. Join us in voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Former Representative Giffords followed Giles and, to the chants of “Gabby” spoke of the need to “Be on the right side of history” fighting and reducing gun violence.
Her husband, Senator Kelly spoke about “Tomorrow’s election being historic” and how “history shows us big things happen when we do them together.”
Telling the audience that a Harris/Walz Administration means a team that would fight for reproductive freedom, preserve Democracy, lower grocery prices, and reduce prescription drug costs for all Americans, Kelly said that the Democrats would win “The same way we launched rockets into space and land fighter jets on an aircraft carrier. As one team…”
After the band La Original Banda El Limón performed several musical numbers in honor of the Harris/Walz ticket, Representative and Democratic Senate Nominee Ruben Gallego took the stage as the final speaker of the evening.
Saying “I am running to represent all Arizonans, Democrats, Republicans, and independents,” Gallego asserted that most people want “To defend our freedoms, including rights to an abortion. (Want to) have to take care of our seniors and our veterans and (want to) have to give our kids the best possible future they could ever have.”
On the importance of working these next 24 hours to turn every possible voter out, Mr. Gallego said:
“We have one day. Will we be able to say… We gave it all. That we knocked on every door. That we called every voter. That we did everything possible to turn out our friends,, our communities? Make your voices heard before, it’s too late. That feeling of building a better future for your kids does not get any better. It’s time to get the job done. If you haven’t already go tomorrow by 7:00 p.m. to drop off your Ballot or vote in person. If you’re in line tomorrow. Stay in line until you vote.”
Follow up with every friend that you can think of who still hasn’t voted and make sure they do the same. And then when we’re done, keep calling until Victory because if we do this together. If we work together. If we push all the way through that tape together, we’re going to be able to do three things. Number one, defeat Kari Lake. Number two, defeat Donald Trump. Number three, fight and build a better future for our families. The only way forward is to elect Kamala Harris as our next president and Tim Walz as our next Vice President.”
“Let’s win this.”
In addition to the Get Out the Vote Rally at Celebrity Theater, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz made overtures to Arizona’s Mormon and Latino communities.
In Op-Eds to Deseret News and Presna Arizona, Harris pledged, in English and Spanish, to be a President “For All Americans.”
Governor Walz appeared on Amor 106.3. Please watch below.
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