Arizona volunteers preparing for President Trump's Sept. 14 'Latinos for Trump' visit
PHOENIX - Arizona Republican Party volunteers have been hard at work preparing for President Donald Trump's arrival to the state on Monday, Sept. 14.
He will host a "Latinos for Trump" roundtable at the Arizona Grand Resort as Arizona is a crucial opportunity in a battleground state where there are 1.2 million eligible Latino voters.
As of Sept. 13, polling on the General Election race shows Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden with a lead up by 4.7 percentage points on average in the state.
Former Vice President Biden hasn't taken a visit to the Grand Canyon State once this election cycle, and Pam Kirby, an advisory board member with Latinos for Trump, says she's not surprised.
"Joe Biden and the Democrats, they've taken the Latino community for granted and President Trump has made an investment here in Arizona. We have opened three community centers," Kirby said.
Between Yuma, Tucson and Phoenix, Kirby says there about 1,100 volunteers working to secure Latino votes for Trump.
On Saturday, Sept. 12, Biden's running mate Senator Kamala Harris spoke to Latino small business owners virtually.
"We're engaging community members like you, the people who run businesses all across Arizona ... we know that you are the backbone of this state," Harris said.
Democratic Arizona Senator, Rebecca Rios representing District 27, says the President's response to the pandemic has negatively impacted the Latino community's health and finances.
"Next week, Latino families and other families in Arizona that are on unemployment are going to see no additional help from Trump and the federal government. How are families going to survive on a maximum of 240 dollars?" she asked.
Trump's executive order made the benefits possible for six weeks, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
As for other issues at the roundtable, Kirby says the Latino community wants a pro-life president.
"President Trump is the most pro-life president we've had. He has been been the only president who has actually walked in a 'Walk for Life' march," Kirby said.
Rios believes the ideals of pro-life and pro-choice differ among the Latino community, saying it's a personal decision.
"As much as Republicans don't want to be told to wear a mask, women don't want to be told what to do with their reproductive rights," Rios said.
According to the Pew Research Center, Arizona is ranked as a top 5 state for Latino eligible voters with 1.2 million, nearly a quarter of Arizona's voters this year.
Arizona is historically a conservative state where Latinos have predominantly leaned Democratic.
Kirby says faith, family and freedom are topics the Latino community wants to focus on when Trump visits. She says at a recent event, she's witnessed some Latinos change their party affiliation.
"We had a huge turnout for that event and in fact we had Democrats who came to register to vote as Republicans," Kirby said.