PHOENIX — The Kamala Harris Campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” on Sunday, a grassroots coalition aimed at courting Trump-skeptical voters in key battleground states, including Arizona.
“I don’t mean to dump on the former president, but literally — physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, there’s not a box that he checks for me,” Mesa Mayor John Giles told ABC15 Arizona.
Giles and former state representative Robin Shaw will co-chair the Arizona advisory committee of Republicans for Harris, where they will help organize and engage Republican voters on the fence about supporting former president Donald Trump through events and network building.
“People who have been raised loyal Republicans in thinking it’s God, family, country and the Republican Party and maybe not even in that order, that its ok, it’s ok to do the right thing, it’s ok to vote for the best candidate — So, that I think is just a matter of messaging,” Giles said.
Giles did acknowledge Harris’ policy stances might not be the perfect fit for some Republicans, but underscored, the Vice President is who represents the best interest of the country.
“I think it’s going to be important for the Vice President to come to Arizona and demonstrate she wants to lead this country in good faith, and that she is committed to working with congress — working with Republican members of Congress to come up with compromises on issues like the border," Giles said.
The initiative comes ahead of a battleground blitz, where Harris will visit seven swing states including Arizona on Friday. According to the Harris campaign, as of July 21, the campaign has signed up more than 20,000 volunteers.
Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda pushed back on today’s announcement, telling ABC15 in a statement that “The Mayor has been endorsing Democrats for several election cycles now — this isn’t news and it certainly doesn’t warrant any of our attention.”
Swoboda went on to add, “At the AZGOP, we are focused on expanding support and addressing issues that matter most to Arizonans and the American people. We are here to win and we will spend our time advocating for policies that help working people, the middle-class, and lift all boats on a rising tide with the policies advocated by the Trump Vance ticket.”
