Democratic candidates David Garcia and David Brill visit Yuma

The Littlewood Fine Arts & Community Co-Op, a local non-profit organization, welcomed Democratic candidates David Garcia and David Brill to Yuma on the final stop of their Listening Tour throughout Arizona.

Since Thursday, both candidates have hit 11 towns throughout Arizona hosting town halls where they heard from residents on key issues like education. Education has been a hot topic during these elections since the statewide teacher walkout earlier this year. Educators demanded higher pay and more funding for education.

“If you’re going to serve the people of Arizona, you got to get out to the people of Arizona, “said David Garcia, the Democratic candidate running against incumbent Republican Governor Doug Ducey. “Public education is the key issue on everybody’s mind across the state, we got a circumstance where failures in public education are hitting every corner of Arizona.”

The public also asked about other issues like sustainable water use practices and expanding the medical marijuana regulations, which both candidates said they supported.

Democratic candidate David Brill is running for Congressional District 4 against Republican Paul Gosar. One issue he tackled with residents was the labor market in agricultural fields.

“Yuma needs about 35,000 commuter visas,” Brill said. “Why not let the states determine how many they need for each state, why have the federal government doing that?”

He also suggested adding seasonal and long-term work visas with refundable bonds so it would give out-of-country workers an incentive to return home instead of over staying their visas.

Brill also had a message for his Republican opponent.

“He’s been invited to five debates with me and he has turned them all down,” Brill said. “There is one left, one opportunity to debate me Paul, please do it.”