By: Ryan Lafferty

In a state that has only voted for a Democratic President once since 1952, the Trump and Biden campaigns find themselves in a heated battle for Arizona’s 11 electoral votes, with polls showing a neck-and-neck race between the two candidates. Republicans won Arizona back in 2016, but shifting demographics and increasing disillusionment with the GOP amongst independent voters have turned the state into an electoral battleground. For instance, in the 2018 midterm elections, Arizona elected a Democrat to the U.S. senate for the first time since 1998. Democrats hope to win over the state’s Hispanic-American voters, who turned out in droves during the 2018 midterm elections, and have prioritized their time and resources on major cities like Phoenix and Tucson, trying to not only court Hispanic voters in places like Arizona’s 7th district, but also many of the college-educated, affluent voters that have historically voted for Republicans.. Meanwhile, as Democrats seek to turn out the vote, Republicans are doubling down on rural and suburban areas, which voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2016 election, and are seeking to run up bigger numbers amongst older, white voters. Even as suburban areas lean blue, Republicans hope that exurbs go the opposite direction. Ultimately, it’ll no doubt be a tight battle in the Grand Canyon state.