Issues like abortion and immigration drive voters in Arizona
(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - We are now just weeks away from the 2024 presidential election and polls show hot button issues like immigration and abortion are driving voters in Arizona.
"It was a right that we've had for 50 years. It's crazy to think that you can take that right away. Who does that?" said Donna Ross, an Arizona voter.
Ross is voting to protect abortion rights. Candy Purdue, another Arizona voter, is too.
"Everybody, on that issue, I believe has the right to decide what they want and what they can live with," Purdue expressed.
Beyond that, their views diverge sharply here in battleground arizona, where ross is supporting kamala harris and purdue is backing donald trump.
The scrambled politics of abortion are at the center of the first presidential race since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The fight has been an anthem of Harris' candidacy.
"So Arizona, we need to fight this battle on every front and in this election, you have the chance on the state level to vote 'Yes' on Proposition 139," Harris said during a campaign rally in Arizona.
Yet , it's far from certain whether Proposition 139, a measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, will give her a definite edge.
Abortion and immigration are colliding in Arizona like few other battlegrounds, with both issues literally on the ballot.
Proposition 314 would make immigration violations a state crime. Virtually no money has been spent on ads, compared to abortion, which dominates the airwaves.
"It's something that resonates with Independents, with Democrats, with Republicans," said Laura Dent, a campaign manager with Arizona for Abortion Access.
Dent helped gather more than 800,00 signatures from Arizona voters to put abortion rights on the ballot.
As volunteers go door-to-door three weeks before the election, Mayra Rodriguez has deployed an RV to spread the word against the measure.
"Obviously, we don't come with the amount of money the other side does," Rodriguez expressed.
A former clinic manager for Planned Parenthood, Rodriguez now warns women against abortion. She's voting for trump, but with little enthusiasm.
"I always tell people unless Jesus is on the ballot, we have to choose always the lesser of two evils," Rodriguez shared.
Four years ago, Trump lost Arizona by 10,457 votes out of more than 3.3 million cast. One of his narrowest defeats.
David Tapia sat on the sidelines in that election, but has no plans of doing so again. He's 42, born and raised in Arizona, and used his classic cars to entice others to register to vote.
"Trump's a popular guy. So whether you like it or not, you're going to open your phone and you're going to see politics," Tapia said.
The more he saw the former president over the past four years, he said, the less he liked. He plans to vote for Harris.
"Looking at both sides, I mean, I'll be honest, I'm not a supporter of Trump. I'm just not," Tapia explained.
He's been studying state races, too, including the abortion measure he plans to support.
"I'm a man. No one has ever told me what to do. And I believe that women have the right to make the decision on their own bodies," Tapia remarked.
Whether Tapia's views are widely held or the exception will help determine the outcome in Arizona.
A new CNN poll of polls average of national polling shows no clear leader in the presidential race. The average shows Vice President Harris holding a slim lead among likely voters of 50% to 47% over Trump.
