In an election cycle where Republicans are unhappy with Donald Trump and Democrats are questioning Hillary Clinton, questions loom about the direction Arizona, traditionally a Republican stronghold, will take in come November.
The unconventional election season hasn’t instilled a sense of uncertainty in at least some Republicans in Arizona, a state with more than 1.1 million registered to the party. Party chair Robert Graham predicts Arizona Republicans will not lose any ground come November.
Democratic Party chair Alexis Tameron disagrees, saying this Election Day could mirror 1996, when Arizona elected a Democrat for president: Bill Clinton. The party has 990,000 registered voters in the state.
At more than 1 million, the fastest-growing registration numbers are going to independents, and it’s too early to tell how they will vote in November. Also in the mix are alternative political parties, with Libertarians claiming 25,000 in the state and the Green Party 5,000.
Arizona Week takes a look at the various parties jockeying for votes in one of the most unconventional election cycles in memory.
#On the program:
- Robert Graham, Arizona Republican Party chair.
- Alexis Tameron, Arizona Democratic Party chair.
- Barry Hess, Arizona Libertarian Party spokesman.
- Angel Torres, Arizona Green Party co-chair.
- Samara Klar, professor at the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy
