PHOENIX (AP) – There is palpable momentum for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Arizona, a state so traditionally Republican that her party’s nominee for president has carried it just once in the past 64 years.
Encouraged by Donald Trump’s failure to unite the GOP in Arizona, long-hungry Democrats are scrambling to capitalize in the campaign’s final weeks. Should they succeed, the loss of Arizona and its 11 electoral votes would further complicate Trump’s narrow path to reaching the 270 threshold to win the presidency.
“This year, we know it’s much closer here in this state,” Michelle Obama told supporters at a rally for Clinton in Phoenix on Thursday. Campaign volunteers weaved through the crowd, asking supporters to donate time to call voters and knock on doors.
“Just look around this room,” the first lady told the crowd of several thousand. “Each of you has the power to swing an entire precinct and win this election for Hillary just by getting yourselves, your families and your friends to vote. You’ve got the power.”
Clinton and Trump have focused their travel and advertising on the few states that have made the difference in recent elections – chiefly Ohio, Florida and North Carolina. But with preference polls tightening in Arizona, Clinton’s campaign sees the state as a late addition to the list of closely contested states.