Harris speaks to Arizona’s Republican voters on campaign trail in Scottsdale

(The Center Square) – Vice President Harris extended her stay in Arizona following her rally at the Gila River Indian Community Thursday afternoon to attend a "Country Over Party" event in Scottsdale with Arizona Republicans who will be voting for her come election day.

Mesa Mayor John Giles, one of Arizona’s first Republican leaders to publicly endorse Harris, introduced her Friday afternoon.

“I thank you. You’ve been an extraordinary friend and I really, I so appreciate the courage that you have shown to be so open and forward about the importance of us working together,” Harris said to Giles.

Harris spent a good part of her speech talking about Arizona’s late U.S. Senator John McCain whom she served with briefly in the Senate, calling him “a great American hero.”

“John McCain stood on principle,” Harris said. “He stood on a belief of the importance of patriotism, of sacrifice and what we stand for as a country. That is but one individual who we all respect who put country before party in terms of what they thought was right.”

Instead of honing in on specific issues, Harris emphasized how she will include Republicans in decision making as president, announcing that not only will she have a Republican in her cabinet, but she will create a bipartisan council of advisors to give feedback on policies.

“In order for us as America to maintain our status as the strongest democracy in the world, we need to have a healthy two party system,” Harris said. “It’s in the best interest of all of us.”

Harris also addressed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who were in attendance, saying that she would be committed “to all Americans.”

“There’s this kind of backward thinking coming from some folks that suggests that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down instead of what we know which is the real measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you lift up,” she said. “That is part of the perversion of what some people are suggesting as though it is a sign of weakness to have empathy, to have some level of concern and care about the suffering of other people and then take it up one’s self to do something about that, that is about lifting the condition of your fellow human being. So, when we think about what’s at stake in this election, it’s packed with some stuff.”

She noted that all people, including Republicans, are important in deciding this election.

“Fundamental notions about who and what we are as a democracy are at play in this election and you all, each of you, have had the courage to say, ‘hey, we may not agree on every single thing, that what a democracy looks like, but foundational, first principles cannot be questioned,’” Harris said.

Numerous candidates have been descending on Arizona as early voting begins. Earlier this week Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff stumped in Arizona as well as Vice Presidential Candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance. First Lady Jill Biden will be campaigning in Arizona on Saturday and former President Donald Trump will be visiting Arizona on Sunday.