President-elect Donald Trump has done it again, sweeping Arizona in a comeback victory that has left pundits scratching their heads and critics scrambling. In a heated election night battle that saw Arizona’s voters turn out in droves, Trump clinched the Grand Canyon State, capturing its crucial 11 electoral votes and pulling his total up to a solid 312 over Kamala Harris’s 226. Arizona, once seen as a toss-up with a slight Democratic edge, firmly sealed Trump’s path back to the White House.
Despite high-profile defections from some notable Arizona Republicans like former Senator Jeff Flake and Mesa Mayor John Giles, who threw their support behind Harris, the so-called “Republicans for Harris” coalition failed to sway enough voters. This might have looked like a good plan on paper, but it seems Arizona’s GOP base wasn’t quite ready to follow Flake’s lead—or to forget his recent gig as the Biden administration’s ambassador to Turkey.
Trump’s win here is no small feat. Arizona, the state that kept everyone guessing back in 2020 after narrowly flipping for Biden, proved that it isn’t the solid blue block Democrats had hoped. The final count? A decisive 52.1% for Trump to Harris’s 47%, with Trump’s team pushing for every early vote they could get. After all, they weren’t about to let Democrats have a monopoly on early voting strategies this time around.
Complete Map of Counties in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Oklahoma and West Virginia the only states that understood the assignment pic.twitter.com/REWnKPv6tE
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) November 7, 2024
On the campaign trail, Trump’s approach was no-nonsense. He doubled down on promises that struck a chord with Arizona voters, pledging to tackle the border crisis head-on with sweeping deportation measures. Arizona, which has seen its share of border challenges—from surges in illegal crossings to rampant drug trafficking, especially fentanyl—found Trump’s strong border stance hard to ignore. Harris, in contrast, pitched a softer approach, pushing for border policies focused on bipartisan legislation that had already seen the light of defeat in Congress.
And the economy? That’s another area where Trump’s message resonated. With inflation still fresh on people’s minds—especially after hitting 13.3% in Arizona in 2022—Trump’s promise to rein in rising prices hit home. Local voters like Marc Hernandez, a 25-year-old rancher, cited the economy as his reason for switching from Biden in 2020 to Trump in 2024, reflecting how economic woes have pushed even former Biden supporters back into Trump’s corner.
Not to be outdone, Harris worked hard to secure support among Hispanic voters, even bringing out the popular band Los Tigres Del Norte in Phoenix for her closing pitch. But the numbers tell the story—Trump carried the state. He even pulled in an endorsement from former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who left the race in August and backed Trump, adding fuel to Trump’s Arizona rally in Glendale.
Donald Trump wins 312 Electoral Votes.
Hey Libs,
This is a landslide.
And it’s about to get much worse.
National Voter ID is coming.
Mass deportations of criminal aliens.
Along with new census maps greatly empowering red states.
The Obama Dynasty is officially over.
You failed pic.twitter.com/SkmuP70yiq— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 7, 2024
From early voting to rallies in key locations, Trump’s team left no stone unturned. Arizona’s GOP, led by chairwoman Gina Swoboda, smartly pushed for early voting, building up a solid voter base that didn’t leave much for Democrats to gain in the end.
Ultimately, Arizona is a reminder that, despite the odds, Trump’s message of a strong economy, secure borders, and American resilience still resonates deeply in swing states. For Arizona, it’s a new chapter—and for Trump, it’s a return to the Oval Office with a clear mandate.
