REUTERS
TEMPE, Ariz. – Former President Donald Trump courted young adults and voters of all ages during a rally at Arizona State University’s Mullet Arena on Thursday as early ballot returns in the state favor Republicans.
“Early voting is underway here in Arizona, and we’re doing great,” Trump told the enthusiastic crowd at the venue located in the Grand Canyon State’s competitive East Valley.
Uplift Campaigns data indicates that Republicans hold a nearly 70,000 return advantage in the Grand Canyon State as of Wednesday.
Young voters in the audience Thursday said casting their ballots in this election is the solution to “end this disaster.”
A recent Marist poll shows Trump with 50% support among Arizona’s likely Gen Z and Millennial voters. Among the same age group, 49% said they’re backing Harris.
When looking at voters under 35 years old, 53% surveyed in the Marist poll said they’re backing the former president compared with 46% for the veep. Overall, the poll had Trump up by 1 point among 1,193 likely voters.
“I think a lot of college students, folks coming out of college are looking at the economy, looking at the housing market, and feeling like the current administration has failed them,” Luke Mosiman, a national committeeman for Young Republicans, told The Post about the ASU stop.
“This young generation is coming around and they’re realizing future is on the line and they’re voting for President Trump,” Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake said. “Thank you, Gen Z!”
Politico reported that Arizona specifically could be one of the more contentious states for the youth vote.
Trump holds a 1.5% lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in the Grand Canyon State, according to RealClearPolling. Although Democrats are expected to win the youth vote overall, the share could be reduced by both Trump’s efforts and a small contingent on the left deciding not to support Democrats because they’re unhappy with the war the Israel-Gaza war.
The Harris campaign is holding counter-programming with the vice president’s sister, Maya Harris, at an event targeting ASU students and Generation Z voters on Friday. Former President Barack Obama rallied on behalf of the vice president last week at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
“Those who know Donald Trump best are sounding the alarm about the risk he poses to the safety, security, and future of our country and democracy — which is why a historic number of Arizona Republicans and independents are putting country over party and backing Vice President Harris,” Arizona’s Democratic coordinated campaign rapid response director James Martin said in a statement.
“Trump wants unchecked power, and it’s up to Arizona voters to decide whether they’re going to let him take it.”