Kamala Harris is surging in Arizona and it has a lot to do with the Latino vote. An Axios Vibes survey revealed this week that she has galvanized the demographic, with 83% of registered Latino Democratic voters nationwide saying they're "extremely likely" to vote, up from 71% back in July when President Biden was still the party's candidate.
The change has been most noticeable in swing states like Pennsylvania where the vice-president is gaining an edge on Donald Trump thanks to a 10-point improvement voting intention compared to her predecessor.
And a poll conducted by TelevisaUnivision's Strategy & Insights and Media, in partnership with Media Predict, showed that the trend has also taken over Arizona, as Harris has the support of 59% of likely Latino voters, compared to Trump's 34%.
The poll, however, comes with an important caveat as 35% of respondents said they remain undecided, suggesting that a significant amount is still up for grabs even if they chose one of the two candidates when answering the question.
As Kathy Whitlock, VP of Strategy & Insights at TelevisaUnivisio explained to Politico:
"People are not certain. They don't have enough information. They know Donald Trump from years ago, but they want to know Donald Trump now. Kamala Harris, they don't know that much about but they want to hear about Kamala Harris now ... she's really unknown, so they're excited because of the change, but they need to be convinced."
The poll also delved into the state's Senate race, reflecting a 63% to 29% lead for Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego over Republican Kari Lake in Arizona's among Latino voters.
When it came down to issues, the poll highlighted the economy as the main concern for Latino voters, with cost of living, inflation, affordable housing, and jobs topping the list. When it came to border security, a hot topic this election cycle at a national level, respondents were divided on which party is better equipped to handle the issue, although Democrats held a slight advantage on broader immigration issues.
A majority of Latino voters supported a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants who have not committed serious crimes and emphasized the importance of securing the border to combat illegal drugs and sex trafficking.
Of the seven states considered as battleground in this election cycle, Arizona has the largest Latino population.
The Harris and Trump campaigns have both invested heavily in Arizona. The former has 13 coordinated offices across the state with more than 120 full-time staff on the ground. It has also invested a seven-figure ad buy in in the state which is running through the DNC. Harris also recently held one of the largest Democratic rallies in the state's history with more than 15,000 supporters.
Trump, on his end, recently released an ad in Arizona and other battleground states blaming Harris for the "chaotic mess" at the border, while his campaign has two planned stop as part of its counterprogramming tour during this week's Democratic convention.
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