Trump, Democrats Gird for Fierce 2020 Fight in Arizona
DESERT HILLS, Ariz.—Four years ago, the relatively humdrum scene never would have happened: A week before Christmas, more than three dozen Democrats filed into a public school cafeteria to go over their finances and organizing goals, and to hear from a local candidate.
The Maricopa County Democratic Party didn’t have much of a presence in this traditionally Republican, suburban area until Trump’s election in 2016, when Ann Olsen, a 59-year-old physical therapist, decided to organize a local committee, suspecting there were others who were motivated by his surprise win. “Even though I knew it was red…I knew those people were there, and I wasn’t crazy for feeling the way I felt,” Ms. Olsen said.
Now, these Democrats are part of a growing network trying to win in some of the most hotly contested states in next year’s presidential and Senate elections. Arizona went Trump’s way in 2016, and Republicans say they are confident he’ll bring out his voters again. But recent demographic and voting trends indicate the GOP faces a tougher path in 2020. Democrats saw gains in all but two of Arizona’s counties in 2018, when Sen. Kyrsten Sinema became the state’s first Democrat elected to the Senate since 1988. The state is also experiencing a population boom in suburban and exurban areas where voters are supporting Democrats in greater numbers.
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Priorities U.S.A., a Democratic super PAC, is spending $2 million on digital advertising in the state. The Democratic National Committee is adding staff and training field organizers months before it did in 2016, aiming to have infrastructure in place for whichever candidate emerges as the nominee. David Bergstein, a DNC spokesman focused on battleground states, said the party sees an opportunity to contrast Democratic positions on health care and the economy with Mr. Trump’s record in traditionally Republican suburban areas that played a big role in Ms. Sinema’s victory.
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The stakes are high because if Mr. Trump were to lose Arizona’s 11 electoral votes in 2020, he would have to hang onto more of the Midwestern states that he won by close margins four years ago and that Democrats are also contesting fiercely. Republicans will also be defending the seat currently held by Sen. Martha McSally, who lost to Ms. Sinema but was appointed to fill the seat vacated when Sen. John McCain died. Ms. McSally, who faces a primary challenger but has the support of national Republican groups, is likely to face Democrat Mark Kelly, the former astronaut and husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Recent polling suggests a dead heat in that race as well as in the presidential race.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-democrats-gird-for-fierce-2020-fightin-arizona-11577803012 (paid subscription)
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