Arizona
Opinion: Even blue-leaning Arizona border counties roared at the polls for Trump
Cochise, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties served as the front line of Biden and Harris’ border policies, and they didn’t like what they saw.
Donald Trump travels to Arizona border ahead of his Glendale stop
Donald Trump visits Cochise County and the Arizona-Mexico border on Aug. 22, 2024, ahead of his Glendale stop at Desert Diamond Arena.
Owen Ziliak/The Republic
As Arizona political junkies feverishly refresh their screens for the remaining votes to be counted, the early numbers reveal one reason Donald Trump is poised to win the state he lost four years ago.
Call it the revenge of the border counties.
Based on the count so far, Pima County didn’t change its voting pattern. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump by 18 percentage points, and Kamala Harris appears to have maintained that lead with a 17 percent advantage as of Thursday morning.
Most of Pima County’s border with Mexico is part of the sparsely populated Tohono O’odham Nation. The vast majority of residents live well to the north, in and around Tucson.
The story is much different in the three remaining border counties.
Trump gained, even in blue-leaning counties
Trump defeated Biden in Cochise County, located in the southeast corner of the state.
In 2020, the Republican received 58% of the vote, compared to the Democrat’s 39%. Despite Cochise County’s previous red leanings, Trump vastly improved his performance in 2024.
So far, Trump holds a massive 68%-31% lead over Harris.
Santa Cruz, with its county seat in Nogales, is a reliable Democratic stronghold. In 2020, Biden received a whopping 67% of the vote, with Trump garnering just 32%.
This year brought a big change. Trump gained eight percentage points, with the vote total on Thursday standing at Harris 59%, Trump 40%. This is significant for a county in which 82% of residents are Latino.
That leaves the last border county, Yuma, in Arizona’s southwest corner. In the previous presidential election, Trump bested Biden 52% to 46%. This time, Trump had 65% on Thursday, compared to Harris’ 35%.
Biden-Harris’ border policies are likely to blame
What could account for the 10-point shift to Trump in Cochise County? The eight-point GOP gain in Santa Cruz? And finally, the 13-point red wave in Yuma County?
Each served as the front line of Biden and Harris’ disastrous border policies.
While politicians bickered in Washington, undocumented migrants passed through these desert regions, disrupting the small communities and taxing their limited public services.
The numbers of migrants are truly staggering.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has divided our southern border into several sections, two of which cover Arizona. The Tucson Sector accounts for the border from the New Mexico state line to Yuma County.
The Yuma Sector handles the 126 miles from the Pima county line to the Imperial Sand Dunes in California. The California portion of this sector has been fenced since the 1990s, dramatically reducing the encounters along their area.
Arizona border counties roared at the polls
Adding up the border crossings from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2024 demonstrates the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to provide basic security.
The Tucson Sector had 1,280,408 encounters. The Yuma Sector had 652,660 encounters.
Over Biden and Harris’ single term, Arizona’s four border counties had more than 1.9 million undocumented migrants pass through. When residents complained, the national media shrugged it off, often blaming racism, despite the high numbers of Latinos living there.
Of course, when a small number of migrants were flown to the elite enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts National Guard had them bused out within hours. The wealthy playground couldn’t tolerate the crushing influx of 50 uninvited guests.
That’s for struggling border towns like Douglas, Nogales or Yuma to handle.
America has long welcomed immigrants, a fact demonstrated by our liberal naturalization laws. We want people to become citizens. But the unregulated entry of 1.9 million people into a single state alarms Americans of all backgrounds.
Tired of being ignored for years, Arizona’s border counties finally made their voices heard.
This time at the ballot box.
Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. On X, formerly Twitter: @exjon.
Arizona
Arizona man accused of kidnapping, sexual assault in case involving Utah teen
Armando Sanchez-Lopez (Courtesy: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
PHOENIX – Sheriff’s officials in Maricopa County say a man has been arrested in connection with a case involving a Utah teen who was reported missing in late April.
What we know:
According to a May 5 statement from MCSO, 30-year-old Armando Sanchez-Lopez was arrested on April 29, after he was seen with the missing teen.
Investigators said the teen left Lehi City, Utah on April 24 in an unknown vehicle.
“Information provided by a family acquaintance indicated the juvenile may have been in Arizona and possibly being held against her will,” read a portion of the statement.
Dig deeper:
MCSO said it was determined that on the night of April 24, the acquaintance had provided transportation for the juvenile to a home in the area of Dysart Road and Maryland Avenue in Litchfield Park.
“The juvenile requested to be dropped off a short distance away and proceeded on foot. When the acquaintance attempted to follow, an unidentified adult male confronted him and reportedly brandished a rifle, prompting the acquaintance to leave the area,” read a portion of MCSO’s statement. “In the days following, the acquaintance received messages from the juvenile indicating she was being held against her will and was in need of assistance.”
On April 29, investigators said they received “updated information that the juvenile had returned to a residence in the area and had subsequently left on foot with an adult male toward another nearby address.” They later contacted the teen and the man, who turned out to be Sanchez-Lopez.
What’s next:
Per MCSO, Sanchez-Lopez has “five prior sexual related accusations involving several victims.” He is accused of sexual assault, sexual conduct with a minor, kidnapping, aggravated assault, custodial interference, and failure to comply with a court order.
Officials say MCSO’s Special Victims detectives are still investigating the case.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a statement released by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Arizona
2 Arizona Cardinals losing presumed starting jobs to draft picks
With the Arizona Cardinals’ top two draft picks, two players likely losing their starting jobs.
The Arizona Cardinals added seven new draft picks last month. With these additions, some players already on the roster could have new roles.
Two players in particular, who were slated to be starters, now likely find themselves in a backup role.
RB Tyler Allgeier
Allgeier finds himself in a similar situation to when he was in Atlanta. He played second fiddle to Bijan Robinson, one of the best running backs in the NFL. He signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal to join the Cardinals, expecting to start or at least have a prominent role in the offense.
But the Cardinals selected Jeremiyah Love third overall, so Allgeier finds him behind a young, dynamic back again.
OL Isaiah Adams
Adams began last season and ended last season as the starting right guard. He was slated to be the starting right guard again, but the Cardinals used their second-round pick to select guard Chase Bisontis. With the addition of Isaac Seumalo in free agency, both guard spots seem set, sending Adams to the bench.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Bobcat killed by dog in Arizona after attacking multiple people
PRESCOTT, Ariz. — The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office says a bobcat believed to have been involved in multiple attacks in the Prescott area was killed by a dog Monday morning.
On Sunday evening, deputies responded to an attack involving a bobcat in the Inscription Canyon area. A man suffered “significant injuries” and was taken to a hospital for treatment, but the bobcat was not located.
On Monday morning, deputies and animal control officers responded to another incident in which a bobcat reportedly attacked a woman. This attack was more than 7 miles away from the first incident.
A third attack was reported a short time later by a person who was walking in an area nearby. The walker’s German Shepherd dog “heroically intervened, successfully fending off and killing the bobcat,” the sheriff’s office says.
Officials say the dog was injured during the attack and is receiving care from a veterinarian.
Another dog was reportedly attacked by a bobcat, marking the fourth known incident in this string of attacks. Officials are now looking for any other possible victims or pets that may have been attacked.
All three people who were attacked are getting treatment for cuts and bites, and it’s believed that the same bobcat was involved in all of the attacks due to the extreme rarity of these occurrences. However, officials are asking the public to remain cautious.
Anyone with information or additional incident reports, including pets, is asked to contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department. You should seek immediate veterinary care if your animal was attacked, the sheriff’s office says.
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