Vance and Walz rally in Arizona as early voting begins

Tim Walz and JD Vance are holding rival rallies in Arizona on Wednesday as the state kicks off early voting and the campaigns push to reach voters in the key battleground.

Both candidates and their running mates are campaigning in Arizona, a state that President Joe Biden won in 2020 but former President Donald Trump took in 2016 in the tight race. The vice presidential candidates’ visits will be followed by stops in the state later in the week by Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be in Phoenix on Friday, and Trump, who will hold a rally in Prescott Valley on Sunday.

It will be the closest the two men have been on the campaign trail since their debate last week, where the two met face-to-face for the first time.

Vance will start his day with a rally in Tucson before heading to Mesa, near Phoenix, for a CPAC town hall. Walz is following an inverse route: He will start his day in Chandler, right outside of Phoenix, then host a rally in Tucson later in the day.

Recent polling shows Trump has a slight lead in the Sun Belt , and a new AARP poll has Trump leading Harris by 2 points, even as down-ballot Democrats are doing well. Vance said last week he will prioritize visiting Rust Belt states due to their confidence in Sun Belt states. The last time Vance held a rally in Arizona was over a month ago.

“We feel very good about the Sun Belt,” Vance said in a recent interview with the Ruthless Podcast . “I think the Rust Belt, we have a lot more work to do.”

Walz is campaigning in Arizona with some big names from the state, including the son of the late Republican Sen. John McCain, Jim McCain, who recently endorsed Harris. The Minnesota governor will also hold campaign events with Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego , who is running for Senate, and Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona.

Both campaigns plan to highlight early voting and the different available voting methods — even as Trump has given mixed messages on early voting, calling the process “stupid .” During rallies, Vance encourages attendees to “legally vote 10 times” by making a plan to bring nine other friends and family with them to the polls.

“I don't like the fact that we have gone from Election Day to election season in this country. But it is what it is,” Vance said at a rally in Detroit on Tuesday. “If Democrats are going to take advantage of every avenue to vote, then Republicans, we've got to do it too so get out there, make your voice heard, and get out there and vote.”

Vance then encouraged people to visit “SwampTheVote.com” that directs voters to information on how to request a ballot, check their registration and vote early. It’s a new part of Vance’s stump speech he has offered in recent rallies.

In campaign rallies, Walz frequently uses the refrain “all gas, no brake,” as he seeks to fire up organizers and urge voters to get registered.

It’s Walz’s second solo trip to the Southwest since becoming Harris’ running mate, as the campaign is trying to reach out to Latino and Native American voters in the hotly contested state. Harris faces a challenge to win over Latino men, in particular, in the final campaign sprint.

In Vance’s last visit to Arizona, the Ohio Republican suggested that John McCain would not support Harris if he saw the border today, after his son endorsed the vice president. He also noted that Trump lost Arizona but “there were some problems” and joked about uncounted ballots in Maricopa County, while making smirks to the audience.

“We lost Arizona — 10,000 votes was the difference between Arizona going for Donald Trump,” Vance said during a rally in Phoenix in September, before encouraging others to get to the ballot by Nov. 5. “10,000 votes stand between us and getting those Arizona electoral votes.”