New York: In a clean sweep of all seven battleground states, Donald Trump won the presidential election in Arizona too. The Grand Canyon State or Arizona was the last battleground to declare its result. After winning Arizona—as reported by AFP—Trump’s total stood at 312 electoral votes against Democratics Vice President Kamala Harris’s 226.
Arizona is one of the swing states that had leaned towards Democrats in the recent years. But, Trump’s dominance in such swing states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, played a crucial role in his victory over Harris.
In 2020, former President Joe Biden had narrowly won Arizona, becoming the first Democrat to do so since the 1996 victory of Bill Clinton.
What wooed voters in Arizona towards the Republican column?
During his campaign, Trump had spoken about issues of border security, immigration, and crime involving illegal immigrants. These topics seem to have resonated strongly in Arizona as it has witnessed a record migrant influx in 2023.
He blamed the Harris and the Biden administration for soaring inflation and record-high illegal border crossings. Trump has also promised to tackle these challenges with mass deportations and a plan to hire 10,000 additional border agents. Trump has also vowed to reallocate part of the military budget to step up border security.
According to the polling data, Trump made significant gains in the recent polls with Hispanic voters, who make the fourth-largest population in Arizona.
Shifting loyalties to Republicans
Trump’s victory in Arizona marks the sixth state that he has flipped from Biden’s Electoral College victory in 2020. Such states are Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. On Saturday, Trump also emerged victorious in Nevada, another battleground state, according to AFP.
Trump will assume charge officially on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, on Capitol Hill, in Washington.
