As the United States hurtles towards a presidential election this November between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, AFP has been taking the temperature in key counties of seven battleground states.
Inflation, election integrity and immigration are motivating voters in Arizona’s Maricopa County, where Harris will face a tough battle to match Joe Biden’s 2020 success.
Here is what some voters in the Phoenix area told AFP about what matters most to them ahead of the November 5 election:
Mortgage banker Will Purtill
On a busy street corner in Phoenix’s trendy Roosevelt Row neighborhood, Will Purtill said his biggest fear for the country is “where the economy is going.”
“Seeing credit reports every single day, credit utilization is at an all-time high,” the 34-year-old mortgage banking director said. “People are strapped and bound to more and more debt.”
Purtill said he is also concerned about interest rates, which the Federal Reserve has gradually increased over the past two years to bring down inflation following the coronavirus pandemic. The subsequent rise in mortgage costs has pushed homeownership further out of reach for many Americans.
Purtill said he is looking for “whoever has the biggest plan to make the most impact and make homes more affordable.”
Retiree Roxanne Pazul
For Roxanne Pazul, a 62-year-old retiree from Tempe and a member of the Ahwatukee Republican Women club, rising prices are a challenge.
In Maricopa, groceries and housing are more expensive than the national average.
“My biggest issue is everyday, average Americans can’t put food on the table anymore, and there are families that are struggling or just individuals who are struggling,” Pazul said.
Election integrity is also on the minds of voters in Arizona, which became a flashpoint for debunked claims of widespread fraud following the 2020 and 2022 polls.
Pazul told AFP she wants to make sure her vote counts and that there are “no issues with it.”
Teacher Karen Deadrick
A record surge of crossings along the US southern border has made immigration another key issue in the presidential election — particularly in the Phoenix area, which is a little more than 100 miles from Mexico.
Karen Deadrick, a 69-year-old special education teacher from Chandler, told AFP at Maricopa County’s election center that illegal immigration and “the open border” are among her top concerns.
“I just think there’s just way too many people coming into the border,” she said. “We don’t know who’s coming in. We know that they’re well-funded.”
Deadrick, another member of the Ahwatukee Republican Women club, says she is also anxious about election integrity, and hopes her vote is “counted and there’s no problems.”
“I have to say that personally, I have never had any problems,” she added.