PHOENIX — Former President Bill Clinton was stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona less than two weeks before Election Day.
His first of two events in the Valley was a speaking event in front of leaders in the local Black community at the Onyx Art Gallery near downtown Phoenix.
“Diverse groups make better decisions," Clinton said.
He promoted Harris' policy plans and described her as the candidate with solutions to tackle issues including rising housing costs and inflation.
"If you look at food, housing and fuel, here's our plan. Number one, with regard to food, the real problem is that most Americans now buy their food from big chains and no state is big and strong enough to monitor all their practices. So she said, I used to be Attorney General of California. We had a no price gouging law," Clinton explained when describing Harris' plan to end price gouging.
Winning Arizona could be crucial in this election and it's something Clinton is familiar with. In 1996, he became the first Democrat presidential candidate to win the state since the 1950s. President Joe Biden became the second Democrat to win in that timeframe in 2020.
"We got this close race and over here is Kamala Harris with what she calls a new way forward, practical solutions to the cost of living problems, practical solutions to energy and healthcare problems, a clear, proven way of dealing with a lot of our foreign policy crises. And over here is Mr. Brandon Blame," Clinton said.
Attendees came from around the state to hear the former president speak.
“I like that she's for the working families party," said Carla Cobbs, a volunteer with the Maricopa County Democratic Party Office.
“We need to put dollars in people's pockets and we need to make sure that folks have the ability to buy bread, milk and cheese," said former state representative Jevin Hodge.
“I think she understands that we as Black men want to have a fair shake in the economy going forward," said Kevin Parkinson.
Michael Dawson is a member of the Local 86 painter's union in Phoenix. He said he was planning on sitting this election out, but is now supporting Harris.
"Honestly, I didn't think the Black vote mattered," Dawson said. "Harris and Walz, they support unions, protect pensions and just the overall hard work in America and overall labor movement."
According to a New York Times/Siena poll, 78 percent of Black voters are supporting Harris. But that's less than Democrat candidates in 2016 and 2020 where support was at 90 percent or above.
A University of Chicago/GenForward survey released the same day as Clinton's visit shows that 26 percent of Black men between the ages of 18 and 40 are supporting former President Donald Trump.
"There's a lot of support for Kamala Harris amongst the Black community, amongst Black men, Hispanic men, so I think that's a rhetoric that's being pushed as a fear tactic, but I hope that it just encourages and mobilizes more Black people, young Black people and Black men to actually get out there and put their vote in for Kamala Harris," said Kelly Palmer, a University of Arizona researcher who works to improve the health and well-being of Black women.
Early voting is already underway in Arizona.
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