Republican Mayor of Mesa, AZ Endorses Kamala Harris for President

"This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket." — John Giles, Mayor of Mesa, AZ

Mesa, AZ's Republican mayor, John Giles, endorsed Kamala Harris for president in an opinion piece for The Arizona Republic, rebuking his party's nominee, Donald Trump.

Giles cited the ongoing damage to democracy as his primary reason, quoting John McCain's motto, "Country First," while urging other AZ Republicans to join him in putting country above party.

The endorsement holds weight as Mesa is Arizona's most conservative city with a population of over 250,000, and AZ is a key battleground state, narrowly won by Biden-Harris in 2020.

Giles praised Harris, saying she's "the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves," and highlighted federal infrastructure funds appropriated to Mesa under the current administration as a reason for his support.

AZ has been at the center of GOP efforts to subvert the 2020 election, with fake electors, a sham audit, and conspiracy theories. Giles' bold move may shift the trajectory of the election in this crucial state.

References

• Giles, J. (n.d.) Opinion: In the spirit of McCain, I’m a Republican backing Kamala Harris for president. Retrieved from https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2023/07/17/john-mccain-kamala-harris-2024-election-arizona-republicans-endorse-democrat-opinion/10878417002/
• USA Today. (n.d.) Kamala Harris. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/kamala-harris/
• The Hill. (n.d.) Arizona becomes ground zero for 2024 election misinformation fears. Retrieved from https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4558118-arizona-becomes-ground-zero-for-2024-election-misinformation-fears/
• CNN. (2023, November 10). Arizona indicts 18 in false Trump elector scheme. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/10/politics/arizona-fake-electors-kifle-invs/index.html
• American Oversight. (n.d.) The Arizona Senate’s Partisan “Audit” of Maricopa County Election Results. Retrieved from https://www.americanoversight.org/investigation/the-arizona-senates-partisan-audit-of-maricopa-county-election-results/
• Arizona Mirror. (2021, July 28). Election conspiracy theorist groups paid $5.7 million for the Arizona audit. Retrieved from https://azmirror.com/2021/07/28/election-conspiracy-theorist-groups-paid-5-7-million-for-the-arizona-audit/
• States United Democracy Center. (n.d.) States of Denial. Retrieved from https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/states-of-denial/
• East Valley Tribune. (n.d.) Mesa ranked most conservative large city in the U.S. by Pew. Retrieved from https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/mesa/mesa-ranked-most-conservative-large-city-in-the-u-s-by-pew/article_f4e62f46-6e75-11e7-a04e-e7efc8a6732c.html
• USA Today. (2020, November 3). Presidential Election Results. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/elections/results/2020-11-03/presidential/
• USA Today. (2020, November 3). Arizona Results. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/elections/results/race/2020-11-03-presidential-AZ-0/
• US Census Bureau. (2023). QuickFacts: Mesa city, Arizona. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/mesacityarizona