Jennifer Garner campaigns for Harris, reproductive rights at Phoenix events

Celebrity Jennifer Garner campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday at events in Phoenix and Tempe, rallying support for Arizonans for Harris ahead of the upcoming November presidential election.

One of the events was held at a private residence in midtown Phoenix, the other at a tea cafe in south Tempe. Both drew wall-to-wall attendees, encouraged by Garner and other featured speakers to vote and advocate for Harris this election season.

Here's who spoke at each of the events and what they had to say.

First a stop at a Phoenix home

Garner's first stop of the day was a campaign event at a private residence in midtown Phoenix, where she was joined by a notable group: former Trump-era White House Official Stephanie Grisham, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, and Mesa councilmember Julie Spilsbury.

Bettina Nava hosted the event at her home, aiming to showcase bipartisan support for Harris. The entrance was lined with "Republicans for Harris" signs, setting the tone for the day.

"This shows the collaboration of people who have nothing in common, and everything in common," Nava told the crowd, acknowledging her nerves as she introduced the celebrity and former officials.

Councilmember Spilsbury served as the moderator, posing questions to Garner, Grisham, and Rice. Before starting, she expressed her own bipartisan support for Harris, stating, "I am a lifelong Republican and a proud supporter of the vice president."

Garner speaks on unity, voter activism and bipartisanship

Garner used her celebrity status as a tool for activism rooted in helping children, especially small town and rural America, which led her to understand the fundamental importance of coming together for a greater good.

"The only way to work if you want to help kids in rural America is to be completely open to bipartisanship," said Garner, who reflected on the importance of that same behavior in Arizona during the 2024 election.

Garner's parents met in Tucson, and her mother's decision to vote for a Democratic candidate, despite coming from a Republican household, shaped Garner's own willingness to stand up for her beliefs.

"I remember when I was young, my mom didn't want to tell my dad when she voted for Carter. I remember as she got older and had three daughters who were all Democrats, she was empowered to say, 'Phil, you know, I just love you, but I just don't vote like you'," said Garner.

"You vote for you," Garner told the Phoenix audience.

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Former United Nations ambassador says events in Phoenix demonstrate voter's ability to unite

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, spoke at the event noting her experience working alongside then California Senator Kamala Harris, and later vice president.

Rice said that Harris was the right person for the job and called for unity between the two parties in support of the vice president.

"The reality in our country is that we need more of this. We need people willing to stand up for this country to underscore that we have so much that unites us, than what divides us," said Rice.

Rice explained that Trump's refusal to certify the 2020 election set a dangerous precedent, suggesting that the law could be ignored when it favored a particular candidate.

"This is about more than winning and losing, it's about fundamentally undermining Americans' faith in our Democratic process," said Rice.

Rice later reflected at the Tempe event that she planned to spend the rest of October in Arizona to support the Harris campaign.

Donald Trump's ex-press secretary explains why she's voting for Harris

Stephanie Grisham, once the press secretary for both former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump, returned to the state she formerly called home, to urge Arizonans not to vote for her former boss.

"I think that what scares me is that I'm a pretty normal human being, I'm a mom, I've got two kids ... I got sucked in and I believed him," Grisham said at the Phoenix event.

"There's nothing redeeming about him, I could sit here for hours telling you stories that would boggle your mind about what I saw behind the scenes," said Grisham, which prompted Garner to respond, "Tell us something."

Grisham didn't hesitate, recalling a day when she accompanied Trump on a trip across the country to visit shooting victims, including some still in the intensive care unit of a hospital.

"We got back on Air Force One, he called me to his office, and he was like 'Stephanie why the F were no press on the ICU floor?'," said Grisham.

"I'm like, 'well number one, it's the ICU, they're germs, HIPPA, and it wouldn't be appropriate.' He screamed at me and told me I was the most useless person on the planet, a lot of expletives," said Grisham.

Grisham stated that Trump then instructed her to relay his version of events to the press, but she refused, leading him to address the media himself.

"He didn't care about those poor human beings who were literally clinging to life on the ICU floor, he was pissed that there was no press, and that is just such a baby snapshot of the stories I have," said Grisham.

Tempe event supports reproductive rights in Arizona

A "Mom's for Kamala" event was held at the Drink Me! Tea Room near McClintock and Warner roads on Saturday afternoon, the business located in a strip mall had the most people it ever had inside, according to owner Melissa Harlan.

Alongside Garner and Rice, the speakers included Arizona Sen. Eva Burch and former Arizona House of Representatives candidate Hiral Tipirneni.

Harlan stood next to her daughter, Haley Gill, and told The Republic that the reason she hosted the event was "for her," gesturing toward her daughter. Gill was born as a result of fertility treatment, which her mother credited for giving her daughter life, underscoring the importance of reproductive rights in Arizona.

Burch, who had been directly affected by access to reproductive care, specifically abortion, shared her story of a failed pregnancy and the subsequent health complications, highlighting the crucial importance of such access.

"When I became pregnant again early this year, I knew I had to show that story because I knew it wasn't just my story. It's your story," said Burch.

"We can do so much better and we deserve so much better. Our daughters, our sisters, our mothers. We all deserve better, as this doesn't only impact women this impacts families and communities," Burch added.

Tipirneni, a physician, strongly advocated for women's reproductive rights at the event, including promoting a yes vote on Proposition 139, which would ease restrictions on abortions in Arizona.

"I am a physician. I'm a healthcare policy advocate. I am a mother of three young adult children and what I know is that there is no room for government and politicians in the decision," said Tipirneni.

Attendees at the Tempe event on why Harris is the candidate for them

Cyndi Smith, an Arizona resident for nearly 50 years, expressed hope that Harris would help stabilize the ongoing fight for women's rights.

"Arizona is trying to take us back to the dark ages," said Smith before the "Mom's for Kamala" event.

"We've tried to go blue so many times, and I think we're going to do it again because we did for Biden," said Smith.

"(Harris) makes you feel like something good is going to happen, and I believe in her, and I believe once people really know what she wants to do for us, they will vote for her," added Smith.

Laura Sharpe supported the bipartisan energy for Harris even before the event had begun.

"The more you surround yourself with positive people, the more you realize Kamala needs to be president, she brings joy and happiness and that's what we need back in our country," said Sharpe, from Scottsdale.

"We need to go back to when Roe was first in effect," added Sharpe.