Battle for Arizona

Battleground states such as Virginia, Ohio and Florida have justifiably attracted a lot of attention in recent elections.

Those states will be very important in 2012, but Arizona is arguably the most fascinating.

{mosads}Republicans worry that they are losing their grip on Arizona, a state turning purple. And should Democrats do well there in November, the Senate GOP will still be in the minority come January, and the House GOP could lose its majority.

President Obama’s reelection team believes it can win Arizona, a state with a Hispanic population that has grown from 1.3 million to 1.9 million between 2000 and 2010. That shifting demographic has Democrats claiming that they can win House races in Arizona as well as the race to replace retiring Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).

It should be noted that Republicans are favored to keep Arizona in the red column in the presidential contest and to retain Kyl’s seat. GOP officials point out that Arizona has voted only once for a Democratic president in the last 70 years (Bill Clinton in 1996).

In 2008, Obama and his team did not focus on Arizona, ceding the home state to Sen. John McCain (R). But this year will be different.

Democrats say their prospects in the Southwest have improved, with some of them making the bold claim that Texas is in play. That is probably a stretch, but it might not be in 2016.

There are other intriguing storylines coming out of Arizona. What will the future entail for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)? Will she be active on the campaign trail later this year for Obama and other candidates running for office?

The strained relationship between Obama and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) will be one to watch. The president and Brewer have clashed over the state’s border-control law, which fast became controversial nationally.

In January, the two argued on the Phoenix airport tarmac about claims she made in her book.

Brewer, who has endorsed Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential primary, will undoubtedly work hard to make Obama a one-term president.

McCain, another Romney backer, has also shown he will not be shy in making the case that Obama should be ousted.

Republicans know that in order for that to happen, they must win Arizona come November.