Trump Takes Resounding Lead In Critical Sun Belt State

With the general election just six weeks away, former President Donald Trump appears to be leading Vice President Kamala Harris in the crucial battleground state of Arizona.

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll shows Trump ahead by 6 percentage points, capturing 48% compared to Harris' 42%. The poll also highlights a closer contest in Maricopa County, Arizona's largest, where Trump's lead narrows to 47% against Harris' 43%. In Arizona, nearly half of Latino voters, about 47%, support Vice President Harris, according to the statewide poll. Former President Trump has secured 35% of the Latino vote in the state.

According to the USA Today poll, Trump's current lead in Arizona poses challenges for Harris, who initially experienced a surge in the state's polls after she replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic frontrunner. In the last two presidential elections, Arizona has been a competitive battleground state.

Both Harris and Trump are actively campaigning in the state; Harris recently visited Douglas, AZ, while Trump hosted a rally in Tucson earlier this month. Both campaigns have dispatched their top surrogates to Arizona in recent weeks.

In 2016, Trump narrowly won the state, continuing Arizona's trend of voting Republican since 1996. However, in 2020, the state flipped blue for the first time in over two decades, with Biden winning by a slim margin. Biden's victory was attributed to changing demographics, including an increase in Latino voters and suburban voters shifting away from the GOP. Arizona's electoral votes played a critical role in the overall outcome of the 2020 election.

According to the poll, inflation and the economy emerged as the primary concern for 27% of respondents. When questioned about the economic conditions in Arizona, only 5% described them as excellent, while 26% considered them good. Both "fair" and "poor" ratings stood at roughly 33% each. Overall, a majority of respondents, 52%, felt that they were worse off financially than four years ago, in contrast to the 39% who reported being better off.

Immigration has emerged as a significant concern for voters in Arizona, with 21% citing it as their top issue, according to the survey. Trump has focused on stringent immigration measures in his campaign, pledging to reinstate his previous hardline policies and introduce even tougher actions, including mass deportations. The Biden administration has been criticized for its management of the border, which has seen record levels of encounters since the pandemic.