Obama Hits the Campaign Trail for Harris-Walz in Tucson Next Friday

As early voting progresses, former President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Tucson next Friday to campaign on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in their presidential bids.

Tucson is emerging as a crucial campaign stop in Arizona, where all 11 electoral votes are in contention. Current polls indicate a tight race between Democratic nominee Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The Harris campaign confirmed Obama’s Tucson visit but withheld specifics about the event. In the lead-up to this, Walz and Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, also visited Tucson. Vance gathered approximately 300 supporters for a sun-soaked rally at the Tucson Speedway, while Walz was welcomed enthusiastically at Palo Verde High Magnet School.

Both campaigns aim to leverage these rallies to gain traction in Arizona. Tucson Democrats, including Mayor Regina Romero, have branded the city as a “blue wall” essential for securing statewide victory. Historically, Arizona has leaned Republican, though Trump lost the state by a narrow margin of 10,457 votes to President Joe Biden in 2020.

In recent days, the Harris campaign has dispatched various surrogates to rally support. U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett from Texas toured Tucson and Phoenix, while celebrities including Kerry Washington, Jessica Alba, and Glenn Close participated in a campaign launch in a predominantly Latino area of Phoenix.

Additionally, prominent figures like former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice rallied in Phoenix in support of Harris.

On September 27, Harris emphasized border issues during a rally at Cochise College’s Douglas campus. Conversely, Trump held a rally in downtown Tucson at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall on September 12, shortly before Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, addressed abortion rights nearby.

Trump’s campaign in Cochise County in August included using a section of the border wall from the George W. Bush era to critique Biden and Harris’s immigration policies.