CHANDLER, Arizona – Vice President Kamala Harris invoked late Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) infamous thumbs-down moment that sunk Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act back in 2017 during her second visit to the state in two weeks as she seeks to court GOP and Independent voters.
Speaking to voters packed inside an event center on the Gila River Indian Reservation, Harris recalled the night the Arizona Senator bucked his party’s leadership and then-President Donald Trump by joining two moderate Republicans to scuttle the repeal of the ACA.
“It required one more vote to keep it intact and that vote was the late great John McCain,” Harris said to applause and boisterous cheers. “A great American, a war hero, John McCain.”
“It was like out of a movie – the wooden doors broke open and John McCain came walking into the well of the U.S. Senate and said ‘no ya don’t’,” Harris said, reenacting McCain’s thumbs down motion. “No ya don’t, No ya don’t.”
Harris and her campaign have actively been working to recruit moderate Republicans and Independents in the state where McCain is still beloved. Trump feuded for years with the Arizona Senator, calling him “not a war hero” nine years ago, and continues to attack him six years after his death.
Harris received the endorsement of McCain’s son, Jim McCain, and he greeted running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) on the tarmac at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport this week ahead of his swing through the state.
The campaign has launched “Republicans for Harris” coalitions in several swing states, actively fighting to court more moderate Republicans who do not identify with the MAGA movement.
During her remarks, Harris brought up Trump’s claim during the only debate between the pair in which he said he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the healthcare law and promised to do so at a lower cost.
INSIDE Harris’s rally in Chandler, AZ. pic.twitter.com/annVZeY4xF
— Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) October 11, 2024
“Donald Trump is trying to get rid of the Affordable Care Act still — and here’s the thing, he has no plan to replace it. Oh, you watched the debate, so remember he’s got quote ‘concepts of a plan,’” she said as the crowd repeated the phrase back.
Harris notably did not mention immigration or the border during her rally in the border state, an issue that voters have often ranked a top concern across the country and in Arizona.
In order to win in the Grand Canyon State, Harris will need to hold onto her Democratic base and siphon votes from both Republicans and Independents. The July voter registration statistics from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office show that independent voters ― officially unaffiliated or “other” voters who do not align with a party ― accounted for nearly 1.4 million or nearly 34% of the state’s registered voters. Republicans make up 35% of Arizona voters, and Democrats account for 29% of the state’s voters.
Harris’ campaign crisscrossed the state this week, holding events and canvassing efforts timed around the start of early voting. In addition to visits from Harris and Walz, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and First Lady Jill Biden and surrogates are working to get out the vote.
Emhoff visited a private residence in Mesa on Tuesday, thanking several dozen Republicans for Harris volunteers who gathered to phone bank.
“There’s nothing more conservative than putting country over party,” Emhoff said, invoking the phrase McCain often used himself.
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The race between Harris and Trump in Arizona is still a dead heat, according to averages of the most recent polls, with many indicating it’s within the margin of error.
