Biden, Harris to visit Arizona on Thursday in first joint campaign stop

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will make their first joint campaign stop of the year in Arizona on Thursday as the race heats up in the battleground state. 

The campaign announced on Wednesday that the Democratic ticket is set to meet with Native American tribal leaders in Phoenix before embarking on a “Soul of the Nation” bus tour. Biden and Harris are slated to make stops on the tour to meet with voters and small-business owners in Phoenix and Tempe. 

The tour will fall on the second day of early voting in Arizona, and as Vice President Pence makes his fourth trip to the critical battleground state. The dueling visits demonstrate the importance of the state less than a month out from Election Day. 

Arizona is one of a handful of must-win states in the presidential race four years after Trump defeated then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton there by roughly 4 points. 

However, recent polling shows Biden holding the lead. A New York Times/Sienna College poll released on Monday had Biden leading Trump by 8 points, 49 percent to 41 percent. 

Additionally, a new OH Predictive Insights poll of the state’s 6th District, which Trump won by 11 points in 2016, shows Trump and Biden within 1 point of each other. The district makes up Scottsdale and the more affluent Phoenix suburbs. 

Biden leads Trump by 3.4 points in the RealClearPolitics average of Arizona polls taken so far in the campaign. 

The state is also important to both parties in the battle for the Senate. The New York Times/Sienna College poll showed Democratic candidate Mark Kelly leading incumbent Republican Sen. Martha McSally by 11 points. 

When asked during Monday night’s Arizona Senate debate whether she was proud of her support of Trump, McSally notably dodged the question.