President Trump rallied supporters in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday to boost Republicans’ chances in the state as early voting continues and Election Day looms in less than three weeks.
The Nov. 3 election will decide who will be the state’s next governor, attorney general, and who voters in Arizona send to Congress, among other positions.
Mr. Trump threw his weight behind Republicans including Rep. Andy Biggs, who is running for governor, and accused Democratic incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs of doing “the bidding of the cartels.”
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He pointed to her vetoes of a bill requiring local agencies to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and 18 crime-fighting measures that put border security at the center of the state’s gubernatorial race.
“She vetoed legislation that would have…broken the cartels and increased prison sentences for fentanyl dealers,” he said. “She didn’t do it. She wouldn’t sign it. And many of your children are dying.”
Mr. Trump said Mr. Biggs “will always stand with law enforcement,” and that critics say “he’s probably too tough,” and that Mr. Biggs “respects the heroes of ICE and the heroes of border patrol.”
Mr. Trump’s visit comes a week into early voting and takes him to a GOP stronghold, where he won over 77% of the vote in Mohave County in the last election cycle.
Mr. Trump warned that if Democrats regain power, they will “immediately reopen your borders, sell out Arizona to the cartels, raise your prices.”
“I imposed a 50% tariff on foreign copper. And as a result, Arizona’s historic copper corridor is roaring back to health,” he said.
He also said his administration approved more than $1 billion for Ivanhoe Electric’s copper project near Casa Grande.
Mr. Trump said foreign producers had been dumping low-quality copper on the U.S. market. He said it “has sand in it” and that it was “ruining your copper corridor, as it was known.”
The rally, held at Laughlin Bullhead International Airport, is part of a multi-state midterm blitz Mr. Trump is waging in the closing weeks of the mid-term campaign.
Several Arizona Republicans delivered remarks at the event, including Mr. Biggs and Rep. Paul Gosar.
Other GOP officials at the event were Rep. Abe Hamadeh and former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who is running to succeed Mr. Biggs in the House.
Mr. Trump’s arrival in Arizona came as a recent poll conducted by HighGround Public Affairs survey shows Republicans trailing in each statewide race.
The survey of 400 likely voters showed the incumbent, Ms. Hobbs, leads Mr. Biggs by nearly 17 percentage points, Attorney General Kris Mayes leads Warren Petersen by 15 percentage points, and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes leads Republican Alexander Kolodin by nearly 12 percentage points.
Republican candidates’ apparent obstacles mainly come from their own party not supporting them, according to the survey. The candidates have support from just 68% to 75% of Republican voters, with Mr. Biggs at 70.6%.
At around the same time in 2024, Mr. Trump captured 88% GOP support in HighGround’s polling and won 93% of Arizona Republicans, according to exit polling.
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