Arizona
Is Arizona an ‘emerging problem’ for Donald Trump? He could return to the state soon
Arizona election results: When do votes get counted?
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer answers questions on when Arizona election results get released, tabulation and other election topics.
Courtesy of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer
Arizona used to be a near-foregone conclusion for Donald Trump. Now it’s an “emerging problem,” according to one longtime political observer.
Vice President Kamala Harris is rising in battleground state polls and drew thousands to a political rally in Glendale last week, establishing herself as a more formidable Trump opponent than President Joe Biden was.
Now, Republicans wonder whether Trump has been present in Arizona enough and say he is losing ground to Democrats.
“They’re on their back foot,” said Chuck Coughlin, a longtime GOP strategist who left the party during the Trump era. “Arizona clearly is an emerging problem for him.”
Trump could address some of those criticisms in person as soon as next week. The former president is weighing a trip to Arizona’s southern border in Cochise County, where the U.S.-Mexico border runs for 84 miles. The region is home to two ports of entry: Douglas and Naco.
Sierra Vista Mayor Clea McCaa and Sierra Vista police Chief Chris Hiser will be present for Trump’s visit, a city spokesperson said on Wednesday. It is not clear what day Trump might visit the county, and the former president’s campaign declined to answer questions about his travel plans.
Arizona is a top campaign destination for presidential candidates because it is among a handful of states that could decide the outcome of the 2024 election. Trump lost here by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020, the smallest margin of any state on the electoral map. It was the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had won in Arizona since 1996 and only the second time since 1948.
Democrats had all but given up on Arizona’s presidential prospects at the beginning of the summer, but the well-choreographed swap at the top of the ticket has injected new enthusiasm in the party.
Harris held smaller Arizona events during her tenure as vice president but drew a crowd of 15,000 to Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale last week for her first Arizona appearance as the Democratic nominee. Trump addressed some 4,000 people at a rally at Dream City Church in Phoenix in June.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report just changed its Arizona presidential election forecast from “lean Republican” to “toss-up,” and a survey from Coughlin’s polling firm HighGround found Harris narrowly leading Trump in Arizona 44% to 42% among likely voters. (The HighGround survey was conducted July 30-Aug. 5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.38 percentage points).
“I didn’t think Democrats thought they could win out here,” Coughlin said. “Now they’re like, oh … we might be able to win this thing.”
The Trump campaign has put more resources into Arizona lately, dispatching vice-presidential nominee JD Vance for a rally and border tour in Cochise County, the same region Trump is considering visiting.
Trump and his allies are also pouring millions into TV ad buys to attack Harris on immigration and the economy. MAGA Inc. just announced a $100 million TV ad buy across the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, POLITICO reported.
“It’s hard to believe until you see it with your own eyes, just how bad the policies of the Kamala Harris administration have been when it comes to the southern border,” Vance said during his trip to the border wall, making sure to attack Harris on one of her most vulnerable issues.
Trump has veered off track with his messaging, though, according to one of his Arizona backers. Trump “never stops speaking” and should stick to a campaign message that can broaden his coalition, said Arizona Republican Alberto Gutier, who served as a Trump elector in 2016.
“Trump can still win it, but he’s gonna have to solidify what’s left of the party,” Gutier said, pointing to struggles Arizona Republicans have faced in recent years. The GOP lost three Senate races, the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office during the Trump era.
For its part, the Trump campaign said his momentum is growing and attacked Harris on the economy and the border.
“Everything — from rent, groceries to gas — is far more expensive under Kamala Harris. Under her failed leadership, Arizona families have experienced record high prices and an unruly border crisis; our communities have been less safe, and deadly drugs are killing our youth. President Trump offers Arizona voters hope through his agenda to make Arizona safe and affordable again,” Trump campaign spokesperson Halee Dobbins said in a written statement.
“The momentum is only growing for Trump ahead of November as voters grow sick and tired of Harris’ lies and unlivable policies; Arizona won’t buy her gaslighting this fall.”But Gutier said he’s worried that Harris appeals to a noteworthy voting group that could help sway the election result.
“Here in Arizona, young people, a lot of people who have not been involved in politics, see her as a savior,” Gutier said. “Good luck, America.”
Still, Trump just got a boost from a top Arizona Republican whom he butted heads with in the past. Former GOP Gov. Doug Ducey endorsed Trump on Tuesday, putting his “differences aside” to back the former president who once said Ducey was betraying Arizona by certifying the 2020 election results.
“Differences aside, there is too much on the line and only a Republican in the White House and a majority in the House and US Senate can ensure it,” Ducey said, throwing his support behind Trump and GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake.
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He also received praise from the Arizona Republican Party chair for taking questions from billionaire Trump booster Elon Musk during a lengthy livestream on Musk’s social media site. Harris has taken few questions from reporters since she became her party’s nominee.
“The conversation between President Trump and Elon Musk on X Spaces again demonstrated President Trump’s commitment to transparency and direct engagement with the American people,” Arizona GOP Chair Gina Swoboda said in a written statement. “In stark contrast, Kamala Harris has been noticeably absent from the media for over three weeks.”
When it comes to campaigning offline, Trump has a lighter footprint than the Harris operation in Arizona. The Trump campaign has eight offices here, compared with Harris’ 12, though it says it has plans to open more ahead of the election. Trump offices are in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Casa Grande, Sun City, Chandler, Mesa, Tucson and Kingman. The campaign also holds “Super Saturday” training sessions for volunteers around the state.
“The Harris-Walz campaign has seen a surge of momentum as voters are responding to Vice President Harris’ fight to bring down costs, secure the border, and make sure Arizona families don’t just get by but get ahead,” Harris spokesperson Jacques Petit said in a written statement.
“Meanwhile Donald Trump and JD Vance have almost no presence in the state and are running on a toxic Project 2025 agenda to ban abortion in Arizona and slash Medicare and Social Security, which is why Republicans, Democrats and Independents are coming together to defeat them and deliver the White House for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”
Another week, another loss for the Arizona Cardinals, as they took a brutal defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners won 41-22, with Arizona dominated in all phases for the second straight week against a divisional opponent.
With the 19-point loss to San Francisco, the Cardinals drop to 3-7, and their playoff hopes are almost completely gone. It was another extremely frustrating performance, and another example of Arizona getting overmatched by a team it was supposed to contend with for the division.
While losses are becoming commonplace for the Cardinals, each game presents its own set of takeaways, and the defeat to San Francisco is no different. Even if most of them are negative, we still learned a lot about the Cardinals on Sunday.
With that, here are three takeaways from the latest Arizona loss.
Just like last week’s matchup with the Seahawks, the Cardinals found themselves down early. They didn’t appear ready once 2:05 p.m. rolled around at State Farm Stadium.
On the opening kickoff, Skyy Moore returned Chad Ryland’s kick 98 yards to the 1-yard line, and one play later, Christian McCaffrey punched it in to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead.
Arizona’s offense didn’t respond, and the Niners scored a touchdown on their next drive, making it 13-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter. Barely five minutes in, the Cardinals were down two scores — marking the second straight game they trailed by two touchdowns before the first quarter was halfway through.
The Cardinals did get on the board on the ensuing series, but they never truly made a game out of it after falling behind 13-0 so early. At halftime, San Francisco led 25-10, and by the end of the third quarter, it was 35-10.
That’s the second straight week an opponent scored 35-plus before the fourth quarter began, as Arizona’s defense simply couldn’t keep up. From the very beginning, the Cardinals were outplayed. The Niners were ready for action, while Arizona looked like it was sleepwalking through the first three quarters.
RECAP: 49ers Dominate Week 11 as Cardinals Exposed Again
The Cardinals set a new franchise record for penalties and penalty yards, making it painfully clear that they hurt themselves throughout Sunday’s contest.
Jonathan Gannon’s team committed 17 penalties for 130 yards, while the 49ers were called for just one flag for 15 yards — an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Arizona, meanwhile, was flagged for those all afternoon.
And that’s all about discipline. The Cardinals showed almost no composure once the 49ers took a big lead, and the penalties reflected that. It wasn’t just late in the game either — 11 of their 17 penalties came in the first half.
When Arizona was trying to stay competitive, it killed its own momentum with drive-stalling mistakes. While the scoreboard shows that San Francisco beat the Cardinals, you could argue they beat themselves just as badly.
Sunday marked the sixth time Arizona has totaled double-digit penalties during Gannon’s tenure, as coaching issues have continued to surface. While change is a hotly debated topic, the facts are the facts — and 17 penalties, a franchise record, says plenty about how this coaching staff is performing.
READ: Key Stats Expose How Cardinals Lost to the 49ers
This is a big-picture takeaway, but still an important one: Arizona’s divisional record is now 0-4, with sweeps by both Seattle and San Francisco.
This was supposed to be a team in the thick of the divisional race, but after Week 11, the Cardinals have been left behind while the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers fight for the NFC West crown.
And this is nothing new. If the standings hold, 2025 will be the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Arizona finishes either third or fourth in the division. The Cardinals haven’t won the NFC West since 2015, while all three of their rivals have made a Super Bowl in the last 12 years.
A win Sunday wouldn’t have vaulted them back into the race, but it would’ve shown they can at least compete within the division. Instead, they’re 0-4 — and there’s not much optimism they’ll avoid a sweep by the Rams. In a league where divisional games matter so much, Gannon’s team has repeatedly failed in the most important moments.
There’s plenty of frustration stemming from Arizona’s loss to San Francisco, but their continued inability to compete within the division might be the biggest takeaway of all.
Gannon is now 3-13 against the NFC West in his career, and if you include the 2021 playoff game against the Rams, he’s 3-14. That’s unacceptable for an NFL head coach, and if you take nothing else away from Sunday, that’s the statistic that should stick with you as the Cardinals decide whether to make changes moving forward.
PHOENIX — While the government shutdown has officially ended, many services are only now beginning to return to normal. Some 670,000 furloughed federal workers received back pay Friday, with payments continuing into next week. The FAA has also reduced flight restrictions at Sky Harbor and nearly 40 other airports as staffing stabilizes.
But for thousands of Arizonans relying on SNAP benefits, the disruption has already caused significant hardship. The USDA now says full benefits should be distributed by Monday at the latest, but for those still waiting, the delay has been devastating — including Phoenix mother Marzia Munari, known to ABC15 viewers from the Smart Shopper series.
From utilizing the food bank to learning new ways to save at the grocery store, Munari works hard to stretch every dollar.
“There’s no money, there’s no SNAP benefits. So what am I going to do to keep my family fed and safe?” Marzia Munari, of Phoenix, said.
Munari is the full-time caregiver for her 85-year-old mother and her 21-year-old daughter with Down syndrome. For her family, she says, SNAP is essential.
“Obviously, at that point you have to take money from where you already have budgeted out for other things, like utilities, car payment,” Munari said.
Now, she faces another challenge — she says she can’t afford to pay her power bill.
“Monday morning, they will shut it down, because I have to give them $250 by this weekend, Sunday night. And I don’t know what I’m going to do, you know? And the power is necessary because my daughter, Jessica, she has to have a CPAP machine at night to breathe. And I don’t know, without power, what’s going to happen, you know,” Munari said.
She describes the missing SNAP funds as the first domino to fall in her tightly controlled monthly budget.
“It’s been stressful and upsetting. And sometimes I think it’s shameful that this is happening,” Munari said.
ABC15 has spoken with Arizonans who have already received their November SNAP funds.
The Department of Economic Security provided the following statement to ABC15 this week:
“On November 12, 2025, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also referred to as Nutrition Assistance (NA), was made available through September 30, 2026. The Department of Economic Security (DES) is taking immediate action to issue any outstanding benefits and resume normal SNAP benefit operations.”
ABC15 continues to push DES for the number of Arizonans still waiting and a timeline for when all benefits will be restored.
“It is an emergency,” Munari said. “Kids in America, they’re going to go to bed hungry.”
Munari says the financial uncertainty has shaken her faith in what lies ahead.
“It makes me lose confidence in our future. You know, what is it going to be like if this is acceptable?” Munari said. “Future generation? That makes me very… I think about it a lot.”
For anyone struggling due to the SNAP benefit disruptions, ABC15 has compiled a list off resources and local businesses stepping up to help.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
GREELEY, CO (AZFamily) — Mantiqueira USA announced Friday it has entered an agreement to acquire Hickman’s Egg Ranch, an egg producer headquartered in Arizona.
Hickman’s has over five locations across Arizona. The company also has locations in California, Colorado, and Nevada.
The Arizona egg farm took a huge hit after losing most of its chickens to bird flu earlier this year. About six million birds were lost. Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman’s Egg Ranch, says it was the first time in 81 years that the company had been unable to fulfill 100% of customer demands.
Hickman said this new transition will bring opportunities to customers, employees and partners.
The acquisition marks MTQ USA’s formal entry into the U.S. market. The company is a spin-off from Mantiqueira Brasil.
“Expanding into the United States has long been a vision for our family, and taking this step through the acquisition of Hickman’s makes this moment especially meaningful,” said Leandro Pinto, founder of Mantiqueira. “Hickman’s is a respected leader with a legacy of quality and service.”
The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.
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