Arizona
5 times Arizona took center stage at Republican convention, from fake bandages to Kari Lake
Former President Donald Trump took the stage at the 2024 Republican National Convention Thursday, capping off four days of speeches, parties and more.
Arizona played a part in the convention. Forty-three delegates voted to formally nominate Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate. Three “everyday Americans” and a U.S. candidate from Arizona spoke at a convention in Milwaukee, highlighting immigration issues and the drug crisis.
Here’s everything you need to know about all the Arizona moments from the 2024 Republican National Convention.
Fake ear bandages: ‘The newest fashion trend’
Among the sea of people wearing the distinctive red “Make America Great Again” hats on Monday and Tuesday, several attendees sported makeshift bandages on their ears, the latest fashion accessory some are using to showcase their loyalty to former President Donald Trump after he wore one during his convention appearance Monday.
Joe Neglia, a 63-year-old delegate from Tempe, said the prop he wore on his right ear was an homage to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. In an interview with CBS News, he called it “the newest fashion trend” and added that he crafted the fake bandage while on the bus to the second day of the convention.
“It’s just in sympathy with Donald Trump,” Neglia told The Guardian. “I saw that man get shot; I thought that man has almost given his life for his country; he deserves some respect for that.”
‘Americans are waking up to the truth’
Kari Lake, a Trump-endorsed Senate candidate, will be on Arizona’s 2024 ballot. A name already familiar to many Arizona voters after she lost the 2022 race for governor, Lake was at the convention to show support for the former president and promote her own campaign.
Lake began her address by calling out the media members in the venues. The former Fox 10 anchor claimed the media has been lying about ‘everything,’ but most importantly, Trump and his supporters.
“The really good thing is that every day, more and more people are turning off the fake news,” Lake said. “And Americans are waking up to the truth about the disastrous Democrat policies pushed by Joe Biden and his favorite congressman, and my opponent, Ruben Gallego.”
She blamed Gallego for allowing criminals and drugs to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, a topic frequently discussed during the convention. She also took aim at “indoctrination” in schools and “Bidenomics,” pledging to eliminate both when she and Trump take office.
‘Who doesn’t miss the Trump days?’
Sara Workman is a single mother who feels the pressure of rising gas and grocery prices. She told the audience that going to the gas pump makes her wonder, ‘Who doesn’t miss the Trump days?’
“But it’s not just the economic pain we’re all feeling under Joe Biden. It’s how they’re destroying the American spirit,” Workman said.
Many “everyday American” speakers shared that inflation during Biden’s term has caused them to struggle to provide their families with basic needs. But Workman also shared how Democratic border policies have contributed to her husband “falling victim” to the drug epidemic, leaving her to take care of their son by herself.
“While the left is trying to divide us with identity politics, we are here tonight because we believe that America is always, and should be, one nation under God,” she said.
Echoing the hopes of other Republicans at the convention, Workman said she will be voting for Trump to restore the economy and preserve the American family.
‘Small towns like mine bear the brunt of the chaos’
David Lara, a Yuma-based business owner, shared the story of his hometown of San Luis. His small city sits approximately 70 miles from the Mexican border and has been directly affected by the difference between Biden’s and Trump’s attitudes toward border security.
His community has seen schoolchildren being exposed to drugs and hospitals being overwhelmed by migrant care. During Biden’s term, Lara said the president had never visited his town or properly addressed the severity of the border crisis.
“San Luis wasn’t always this way. And Joe Biden, Kamala Harris do not care,” Lara said.
Lara remembers Trump in San Luis while on a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. This memory and the former president’s promise to prioritize increased immigration security is why Lara said he will vote for him in November.
‘It’s chemical warfare’
Jim and Sue Chilton, a couple married for 60 years, own a ranch in Arivaca that lines 5.5 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Jim Chilton, thousands of illegal immigrants have entered the family ranch claiming economic asylum, leading to death and violence on their land.
“Every time Jim leaves the ranch house, I have to worry that he won’t come back alive,” Sue Chilton said.
Agreeing with many other Republican speakers like Lara and Workman, the Chiltons condemned the flow of drugs into the U.S. and attributed the increased crime and violence in their community to weak border security.
“The cartel drug smugglers are crossing our nation’s borders every day. They are bringing lethal drugs into our country,” Sue Chilton said. “This is chemical warfare.”
The two ranchers said they were voting for Trump so the border wall that fences their ranch can finally be completed and ranchers along the Arizona border can feel safe again.
Arizona
2026 MLB Draft: Arizona likely to be minimally impacted after down season
Unlike other major pro sports in the United States, Major League Baseball’s annual draft is hardly must-see television. With 20 rounds of picks—it used to be 50—and very few of them household names, only true baseball diehards closely pay attention beyond the first handful of selections.
For college baseball fans, though, the MLB Draft can bring about some stress and uncertainty since both incoming freshmen and existing veterans are eligible to be selected. The best college juniors and seniors are sure to get drafted and sign, while top recruits may be lured into starting their pro careers early via a hefty signing bonus.
Last year the UA saw nine members of the 2025 squad, which reached the College World Series, get drafted and sign. One of its prep signees also took the money rather than come to Tucson.
The 2026 draft, which begins Saturday and finishes Sunday, won’t be nearly as impactful to Arizona’s roster. Only one current Wildcat with eligibility remaining is assured of being drafted: junior right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski.
Kramkowski, who struggled in the spring after a breakout 2025 season, is ranked as the 205th-best draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 245 by MLB.com. That would put him in the range of the 6th or 7th round to get selected, though he could go earlier. All indications are Kramkowski will sign.
Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. No other current or future Wildcats are among BA’s Top 500.
Among Arizona’s outgoing seniors, the top candidate to get drafted is left-handed pitcher Patrick Morris, who is currently playing the MLB Draft League. Infielders Tyler Bickers and Maddox Mihalakis could also get picked late or sign as an undrafted free agent.
Draft-eligible juniors other than Kramkowski include lefty Maclain Roberts, catcher Beau Sylvester and outfielders Andrew Cain and Easton Breyfogle. A couple of Arizona’s 2027 newcomers, such as junior college righty Collin Cobb, prep infielder Ayden Deome and catcher Francisco Rivero, are also at risk of getting picked.
Arizona has had 293 players drafted in its history and has had at least two taken every year since 2011.
The first four rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft are Saturday, with NBC airing the first 10 picks starting at 10 a.m. PT before the broadcast switches to MLB Network and later MLB.com. Rounds 5-20 are Sunday on MLB.com starting at 8:30 a.m. PT.
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