Walz campaign manage to win veteran voters? – Deseret News

MESA, Ariz. — With less than 20 days until the 2024 election, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly dropped by an iHOP restaurant in Mesa, Arizona, earlier this week to energize veterans who support Vice President Kamala Harris .

"I served in the United States Navy for 25 years, but to win this election, we do not need a navy. We need an army of people," he said. Since Arizona's election results come down to the wire, "veterans could be the difference between winning and losing this election," Kelly said.

The latest poll shows former President Donald Trump enjoys a 3-percentage-point lead over Harris in Arizona. About half a million veterans reside in this battleground state. While they typically lean Republican, the Harris campaign is trying to capitalize on statements attributed to Trump about veterans.

Kelly alleged Trump avoided being drafted to Vietnam and repeated a claim that Trump had called veterans "losers" and "suckers" — a claim Trump vehemently denies. The former president also went after the late Sen. John McCain, a war hero from Arizona, and scrutinized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's military record, after Walz falsely claimed to have served in combat zones during his 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard.

Kelly, who flew combat missions during the Gulf War as a naval aviator, said, "During the first night of Desert Storm when I had a missile blow up next to my airplane, not for a second did I feel like I was tricked into doing this." He continued, "Folks, this is not rocket science. If it was, I could help, but anyway, this is about is which side which campaign works harder than the other."

The Arizona senator argued that some of the generals who served under Trump — John Kelly, Jim Mattis and H.R. McMaster — declined to endorse him, adding, "he has no business being anywhere near the Oval Office."

Democrat Tim Stringham, running for Maricopa County recorder against Republican Justin Heap, also joined Kelly as a speaker and talked about his experience serving in the military.

"Now I'm running for county reporter because as veterans, we told ourselves we were out there to protect everybody's right to vote," he said. "The toughest conversations that we've ever had in America is about who gets to vote."

The Harris' campaign's issues with veterans Digging deeper, Kelly's visit with longtime Democratic veterans indicates the Harris-Walz campaign is addressing its vulnerabilities and trying to expand its voter base. According to Pew Research Center , veterans' voting preferences haven't changed much since the last two elections. In 2020, three-fifth of former servicemen cast their ballot for Trump, while 39% supported President Joe Biden. The result mirrored 2016, when Trump won 61% of the vote compared to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 35%.

This time around, Trump again enjoys 61% of backing from ex-service members, compared to Harris' 37%, as per September polling .

At the iHOP, veterans were served lemon water and coffee, and tasked with writing postcards to shore up support for Harris. One of the attendees, Frank J. Cota, 64, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, said he considers it important to stay involved. "Our service really never ends," he said. Plus, everybody loves a handwritten letter, doesn't matter who it's from, he said.

In his postcards, Cota wrote about protecting democracy, the Constitution and abortion rights.

"Lot of veterans, we all took the oath to protect the Constitution, and we've heard Trump literally say he wants to do away with the Constitution," the veteran said. The Jan. 6 Capitol riots also painted a jarring picture for ex-servicemen like him.

"You never would think it would happen here, and we all feared it would happen here," he added. He was previously a registered independent, but he is now loyal to the Democratic Party. He said he believes the reason military members lean conservative is because of "machismo," a contrast from the Democratic Party that supports women's and LGBTQ+ rights.

Shyamal Chattophadyaya, another attendee, said as a veteran, he experienced a deep sense of brotherhood while serving, and that Trump could never comprehend jumping in front of a bullet for someone else. Chattophadyaya's shirt, previously signed by Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz, also earned an inked inscription from Kelly.

While he will continue volunteering for the Harris-Walz campaign, Chattophadyaya said he is telling voters to not "split their vote," and pick Democrats straight down the ballot.

"How is that Ruben Gallego is leading Kari Lake by 17 points? How does that work? Who is supporting Ruben Gallego and Kamala Harris?" Chattophadyaya said, adding, "That's like saying, I'm a vegetarian, but I'm going to have prime rib." Gallego and Lake are running for the seat left vacant by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.