The Arizona election is so close it’s driving some to tears.
For early voters in the battleground state — one of seven that will decide the election — they feel their futures are more at stake than ever in what will be one of the closest and most consequential races in decades.
Polling places in and around Phoenix have already seen a steady stream of voters eager to return their ballots despite the triple-digit heat.
Who wins the state is a matter of money, with recent polls showing Donald Trump barely one percent ahead and election prediction models giving him the best chance to win by the narrowest of margins.
DailyMail.com found a nearly even split of Harris and Trump supporters, but their reasons for how they cast their votes varied.
Early voting is underway in the battleground state of Arizona, with voters returning their ballots by mail or voting at early polling places across the state. Voters DailyMail.com spoke to reflected how tight the race in the battleground state is expected to be, with a near-even split for Trump and Harris
At an early polling place in Scottsdale, Louis Lopez stopped by to vote for Trump.
“I just love the changes he’s trying to make,” said the Hispanic voter, originally from New York. “I love what he’s trying to do with the border.”
Lopez, who also voted for Trump in the last election, described Trump as a “no-nonsense man” and simply said he is not a fan of Harris.
But independent voter Shawn Dunn, who showed up to vote moments later, disagreed.
Dunn voted for Harris because “she’s not crazy. She is not demented. And she doesn’t lie like every sentence, so for me it’s all about integrity.”
Dunn has voted for a straight Republican ticket for forty years, but that changed in 2016.
The father of four daughters said another issue for him this year is ensuring his children have “the physical right to do whatever they want.”
“Last time I checked I didn’t see any laws for men and my body, and they’re trying to control women’s bodies,” he added passionately.
This year, he also voted for Democrat Ruben Gallego in the Senate race for Republican Kari Lake.
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Mary Meyer also showed up at the polls to vote in Scottsdale, but the experience was tough for the registered Republican.
“I’m emotional because I voted against someone, so I voted for Harris because I think Trump is a dictator,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I like to vote for someone I can trust, who is not a liar, who respects women and who is healthy,” she said. “I can’t say Harris isn’t all those things, I just don’t know enough about her yet, and I hope she gets chosen, and I hope I grow to love her.”
Meyer also voted for Gallego in the Senate race. But in a state like Arizona, not everyone votes immediately.
19-year-old Benjamin Sorensen holds an “I Voted Today” sticker after voting in his first presidential election. He voted for Trump for president, but Gallego for Senate
In Phoenix, Benjamin Sorensen, 19, voted in the presidential election for the very first time on Friday. The registered Independent was extremely conflicted about his choice, but chose Trump.
“It was very difficult to choose, but I gathered the courage and voted for Trump,” he said.
‘Socially I am very liberal. I love Kamala’s initiatives on abortion and LGBTQ rights, just as she presents herself. She is very approachable. But she has been in office for three and a half years. It wasn’t the best. Trump’s four years looked a lot more promising economically,” Sorensen explains.
While he voted for the Republican presidential candidate, he chose a mix of Democrats and Republicans in the vote, including Gallego in the Senate race.
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“The Senate almost had a harder time because I think two crazy people ran for office,” he said.
Sorensen accused Lake of joining the far right and Gallego of pretending to be a moderate. He said the reason behind splitting his tickets was abortion rights.
“I believe Gallego will protect women’s right to choose in Arizona at the federal level. With Lake, I’m not so sure,” he said.
The voters DailyMail.com spoke to reflected how tight the race is in the state with its 11 electoral votes overall.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls finds Trump up half a point as a series of recent polls show the race within the margin of error
The Real Clear Politics average of polls shows Trump with just a half-point lead in the state.
The latest Wall Street Journal poll has Harris up by two points, a statistical tie, while the just-released Emerson College poll shows Trump ahead by two points.
In the battle for the Senate, Gallego appears to have a six-point lead over Lake, indicating that a large number of voters will split the tickets this year.
Democrat Ruben Gallego (left) and Republican Kari Lake (right) participate in the Senate debate in Arizona on October 9, 2024
Both presidential candidates have campaigned heavily in the state. Harris held a campaign rally on Thursday, a day after early voting began. Her running mate Tim Walz also visited the state for the first day of early voting.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance also marked the start of early voting in the state on Wednesday. Trump will hold a rally in the battleground state on Sunday.
Trump won the state in 2016 by more than 90,000 votes, but President Biden flipped it blue in 2020 by just over 10,000 votes — the closest presidential election in the state’s history. This year’s results could be even tighter.
Arizona voters can participate in early voting by dropping off their mail-in ballot, or they can come and vote in person at a series of polling places.
Kamala Harris attended her rally in Arizona on October 10, a day after early voting started in the state
Donald Trump will hold a campaign event in Tucson on September 12
Trump’s running mate JD Vance holds a rally in Tucson, AZ on the first day of early voting in the state on October 9
Republican David Kappeler, 57, voted early in Phoenix because he will be out of town on Election Day and he didn’t want to miss being part of the process. He voted for Trump.
“I think he’s exactly what this country needs, with all the budget deficits, the economy, the border and the weak defense,” Kappeler said.
He believes Harris is “misinformed and incompetent.”
Kappeler also voted for Lake in the state Senate race for the same reasons he shared for supporting Trump.
Signs for Harris and Trump would be seen along roadways and near early voting locations as voters head to the polls in Arizona
But Democrat Elizabeth Madden, 28, showed up to vote for Harris and the Democrats, including Gallego.
“I voted for Kamala Harris. “I trust her as president of the United States because she cares about women’s reproductive rights, and she also cares about climate change, which are my top two issues.”
She is extremely angry that Trump is on the ballot again and worries that “he doesn’t see immigrants as people.”
Madden showed up because early voting fits her heavy work schedule, but she’s concerned about turnout among her colleagues. Some have told her they will not participate.
She was joined early in the vote by Michael Casper, also 28, who voted up and down for Democrats, saying climate change is his big problem.
In-person early voting in the state runs through Nov. 1 before voters can return in person to cast their ballots on Election Day, Nov. 5.