Joe Biden Flips Arizona for First Dem Win in 24 Years
COPPER STATE TURNS BLUE
Joe Biden has won Arizona, the Associated Press reported, flipping the state blue from a 2016 Republican victory. Polls showed the former vice president in a dead heat with President Donald Trump in the run-up to the election, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) hosted drive-in rallies on the campaign’s behalf to rally Democratic voters in the closing days. The recent surge in coronavirus infections has hit the Copper State hard, especially Maricopa County, which has more than 150,000 cases. Biden capitalized on the federal government’s failure to curtail the pandemic, hammering Trump on his leadership in recent speeches.
Arizona commands 11 Electoral College votes, which Trump took in 2016 by about 4 percentage points. The state went Republican in 2012, casting its votes for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). Not all the state’s conservatives favor Trump, however; Former Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake urged voters to choose Biden in online videos and ads published during the campaign.