Arizona
Arizona Republicans channel McCain with support for Kamala Harris
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris | Agence France-Presse
MESA, United States — At a traffic-choked intersection in stifling desert heat, a group of Arizona Republicans are campaigning for their preferred presidential candidate — Democrat Kamala Harris.
The political temperature in this battleground state is rising as the United States hurtles towards a bitterly contested election on November 5 in which some life-long Republicans say they cannot support Donald Trump.
“I’m just doing my patriotic duty, defending my country against someone who actively sought to take down the Constitution,” pilates instructor Amy Wudel tells AFP.
READ: Harris vows migration crackdown, reform as she finally visits border
Drivers in Mesa, a suburb of Phoenix, honk their horns as they pass the intersection, in what appears to be a show of support for the nearly two-dozen people standing there with “Arizona Republicans for Harris” signs.
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But there are also shouted insults and the occasional middle finger.
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Trump lost to Joe Biden in this western state in 2020 by a wafer-thin 10,500 votes.
But many in the local Republican Party still refuse to believe it, claiming — without any evidence — that the ballot was rigged.
READ: Stephen Curry: Kamala Harris election victory will unite US
For some stalwarts, it is baffling that their party still professes blind obedience to a man who encouraged his supporters to overrun the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“That makes him completely unfit for office,” said Wudel.
As a Mormon, the 47-year-old has always struggled with the billionaire’s lifestyle — he’s been married three times, allegedly had a fling with a porn star and then lied about the payments he made to cover it up.
For Wudel, all that stands in rather stark contrast to Harris.
“She’s a prosecutor who respects the rule of law, while he is a convicted felon,” she said.
Orphans of John McCain
Like Wudel, other demonstrators say they no longer recognize the party they joined, which has been swamped by Trump’s “Make America Great Again” brand.
Many define themselves as “fiscally conservative and socially moderate,” invoking the memory of John McCain, the 2008 White House nominee who died of cancer six years ago.
Trump’s narrow loss in the state in 2020 — the first time a Republican has not carried Arizona since 1996 — was, at least partly, because these orphaned Republicans refused to fall in line with their party’s nominee.
Some feel so strongly that they are prepared to take a national stand against Trump.
Mesa Mayor John Giles spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August, when Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination.
McCain, for whom Giles worked as a lawyer when he was younger, “was well known for saying ‘Country over party’,” he told AFP.
That credo would not allow election denialism, the scuppering of a bipartisan immigration bill, or opposition to military support for Ukraine, he said — all articles of faith for MAGA Republicans.
“I need to remind particularly Republicans in Arizona to follow the example of Senator McCain and to not have displaced loyalty to a party that has lost its way,” he said.
It’s a message that had resonated with several old-school Republicans.
Among those who have thrown their weight behind Harris are Dick Cheney, George W. Bush’s former vice president, his daughter Liz, one of the few Republicans to have participated in the congressional commission investigating January 6, and McCain’s son Jimmy.
‘Politically homeless’
In and around Phoenix, dozens of giant “Republicans for Harris” billboards line the highways.
The effort to keep Trump out of the White House was less obvious in 2020, when a handful of posters professed support for Biden.
This year, organizers say they have already raised $120,000 from small donors in Arizona, twice as much as they did in the last cycle.
In the neat front yard of his suburban home, Daniel Schweiker is one of those who has erected a pro-Harris sign.
At 75, this retiree is nostalgic for the old Republicans — the Bush family or even disgraced former president Richard Nixon — and thinks of himself as “politically homeless.”
Polls are tight in Arizona — fivethirtyeight.com says Trump has the edge by 1.5 percentage points in an average of recent surveys.
But Schweiker wants to believe that the former president will end up being penalized because of the way his campaign has catered to the extremes of the party.
He cites Kari Lake, who is underwater in her run for the US Senate after aggressively disputing her clear defeat in the race for the governor’s mansion two years ago.
Schweiker thinks Arizonans don’t reward such uncompromising positions.
“The MAGA Republicans can win a primary election because they’re the only ones who vote in the primaries,” he said.
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“But to win a general election, you have to move to the middle, and those people don’t know how to do it.”
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona state Sen. Mark Finchem has filed a bill that would hold online platforms accountable if they help support prostitution or child sex trafficking.
Finchem, a Republican from Prescott, said Senate Bill 1077 would make it a felony for anyone or any business that knowingly operates an online service that facilitates, promotes or solicits those types of sex offenses.
Violations involving underage teens between ages 15 and 17 would carry a class 5 felony, while those involving children under 15 would be guilty of a class 2 felony.
“Technology should never be used as a shield for those who profit from exploitation,” said Finchem in a news release. “Criminal activity has adapted to the digital age, and our laws must do the same.
The proposal would also penalize platforms that show harmful materials to kids and don’t have “reasonable age verification” established. It also prohibits people from profiting from these types of crimes.
Finchem said the bill came about through working with the chamber’s Human Sex Trafficking Task Force, which was formed by Senate President Warren Petersen, also a Republican. The task force was established to find gaps in Arizona law as technology evolves.
“Protecting children and shutting down modern avenues of exploitation must remain a top priority, and this legislation reflects that commitment,” Finchem said in part.
“It is no secret that sexual predators and human traffickers use the internet to sell the most vulnerable among us for a profit,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes in a prepared statement. “Senator Finchem’s SB 1077 will protect women and children from these criminals, as well as give law enforcement a needed tool in the prevention of crime.”
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What to do if you’re in an accident on an Arizona roadway
In the event of an accident, here are some things you need to know.
The Republic
Arizonans may think pedestrians always having the right of way is a given.
State law, however, does not quite reach that conclusion.
When pedestrians have the right of way varies based on the situation. And there is a lot to take into account.
Making matters more concerning, data from the Arizona Department of Transportation shows that in 2024 there were 2,079 pedestrians involved in traffic crashes in the state. Of these, 263 were killed.
The Arizona Republic sampled expertise on pedestrian right of way from those who know the rules best: law enforcement.
Here is what you should know about the laws regarding pedestrian right of way in Arizona.
What Arizona law says about pedestrians’ right of way in a crosswalk
Unless there is a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing, motorists must yield the right of way to a pedestrian on a crosswalk, according to Arizona state law, A.R.S. 28-792. Pedestrians also have right of way when a pedestrian is on half of the roadway that the vehicle is traveling or when approaching a vehicle so closely from the opposite half of the road that they are in danger, the law says.
Additionally, the law directs drivers to not try and pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian at a marked crosswalk or at an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection.
Are there exceptions to when a pedestrian has a right of way in Arizona?
A pedestrian cannot “leave any curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield,” the law states.
What law enforcement says about pedestrians’ right of way in Arizona
Phoenix police spokesperson Sgt. Brian Bower explained that a pedestrian crossing a crosswalk with signage indicating not to cross would be a fault in a crash. Pedestrians cannot cross the street on an angle, but must cross in a straight path, Bower added.
“The pedestrians have to ensure that there is safe distance and it’s safe to cross over,” Bower said. “It’s still up to the drivers that if there’s somebody in the street, they have to still slow down or stop for that individual.”
Marked crosswalks typically have white lines painted on them, he noted, adding, there are also the ones with traffic signals at major intersections.
Bower also pointed to the High Intensity Activated CrossWalK (HAWK) crosswalks found in Phoenix, which are activated by a pedestrian pushing a button and a sequence of yellow, red and flashing red lights for motorists to yield.
Some tips for drivers regarding pedestrians’ right of way
Mesa police spokesperson Detective Jessie Macias advised that pedestrians make eye contact with approaching drivers.
“Try to be seen,” Macias said. “You want to do it in each lane.”
Macias also urged drivers approaching a green light where some vehicles appear to have slowed down or have come to a complete stop to double check whether there is a pedestrian still crossing.
ARIZONA — Former Arizona Cardinals WR Trent Sherfield Sr. is joining the New England Patriots’ practice squad ahead of their Divisional Round tilt against the Houston Texans.
Sherfield was one of eight Cardinals players that had his contract expire yesterday, effectively making him a free agent. It didn’t take him long to find a new home.
Sherfield played a total of 12 regular season games between the Cardinals and Broncos this year. He signed to Arizona’s practice squad later in the year after a plethora of injuries plagued the Cardinals’ wide receiver room.
For the Cardinals specifically, he had just one target thrown his way through the two games he played after landing in Arizona back in November.
It was initially a homecoming for Sherfield, who began his career with Arizona as an undrafted free agent back in 2018.
“Coming here was a blessing in a lot of different ways,” said Sherfield (h/t AZCardinals.com). “I needed to be here … It’ll be surreal to be back out there.”
Now, Sherfield is a depth piece for one of the league’s hottest teams in New England, who could very well make a push to the Super Bowl if they play to their strengths.
As for the Cardinals, they’re in the midst of a coaching search yet again after Jonathan Gannon was sent packing after three years of service.
“I know our fans are frustrated. I am more frustrated. I know Monti is more frustrated. And so is JG and every one of those coaches and players. We all expected more. But when I look at it, some of the changes that were made with other teams just a year or two years ago, those teams with new coaches from a year or two ago are now in the playoffs, playing this weekend,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said.
“I know we can turn it around, and I’m looking forward to getting going with this search because it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to be that next story where we flip it around.
“We want to win. This was a decision that was based solely off winning. When I look at what other teams have done, and frankly, historically, we’ve done a quick turnaround in our not too distant past, I am looking forward to that, and I hope it’s going to be in the first year, not in the second year,” he said.
“But we’re confident that our search is going to be thorough, it’s going to be broad, and we’re going to select the right coach.”
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