Political consultant breaks down why, how Arizona politics are changing
PHOENIX - All eyes are on Arizona as Election Day looms, especially with two close races, both for the Senate and for president as Arizona has become a battleground state.
A question remains: What changed in Arizona through the years that could flip the historically red state to blue on Nov. 3?
If Mark Kelly were to win a seat on the Senate, beating incumbent Senator Martha McSally, it would be the first time two Democrats sat on Arizona's Senate seats in nearly 70 years.
A political analyst says there are a number of reasons for the potential change.
FOX 10 Voter Guide: 2020 Arizona General Election
"If that were to happen, that would be a historic thing that we all outta talk about and look at and ask how did that happen because it's been a long time coming. We have had single Democratic senators for some time since then," explained Charles Coughlin with the consulting firm HighGround, Inc.
He adds, "It's always when you see change, people will say, 'Oh it was just this or it was just this,' or his rise in the Hispanic vote and the Republicans having a problem with them or the migration of Californians moving here or the demographics trends of upper-income people and higher educated and the growth of Maricopa County. All of those things are true and all of those contribute to what we see at the end of the day," Coughlin said.
The trend started back in 2018, he said, with the expectation it would accelerate during a presidential election.
"That's what we are seeing now -- a much higher turnout in the electorate than we had in '18. So you would expect those advantages," he said.
The state is seeing an influx of new voters on all political spectrums. Voter participation is also up.