Why Would a Republican Vote Biden? Ask Arizonans

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Arizona has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 24 years, and the state has not been represented by two Democratic senators in over 65 years. So we find ourselves in a historically strange place: Joe Biden holds a small but consistent edge over the president, and Mark Kelly, the Democratic Senate candidate, holds a lead in his race against his Republican opponent, Martha McSally.

Why is Arizona suddenly a swing state?

The answer is frequently attributed to changes in the demographics of our electorate. It is true that Arizona’s population is increasingly urban, college-educated and Latino — trends that favor the Democratic Party.

But this influx of Democratic-leaning groups doesn’t explain the change. After all, the proportions of registered Republicans and Democrats in Arizona have remained remarkably stable: Registered Republicans solidly outnumber registered Democrats.

What has changed is that more Republicans aren’t voting for the party’s candidate in elections for national office.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-would-a-republican-vote-biden-ask-arizonans/ar-BB1a38gv?li=BBnb7Kz

[wryter2000]

1. Republicans not voting for their party's candidates

Best news ever, right there.

[frazzled]

2. I was glad to read that this morning

Not only because it means Arizona is getting bluer (and not just because of transplants or urban, college-educated and Latino voters) ...
but because this was actually an opinion piece that was published in the NYT opinion pages, and I took a beating yesterday for resisting the berating of the Times by defending their right to profile a Trump voter in the very same pages.

There seemed to be the opinion that the NYT is evil any time it publishes anything analyzing Republican voters, while failing to notice that they also publish articles, editorials, and opinion pieces that analyze Democratic voters. Both, for better or worse, are facts of life in America, and the Times has an obligation, if they publish analyses of voters at all, to analyze or represent both kinds. I'll admit that cherry picking a few voters of either party is unrepresentative and a waste of time. But to say they shouldn't address Republican voters at all, in some sort of objective way, is wrong. I think a lot of people think that if you write about (or invite on TV) any Republican, you are doing the devil's work. That's like Trump pretending the coronavirus has miraculously disappeared. Republicans are real, if misguided or evil, and it's a journalist's obligation to acknowledge that. We're all smart enough to recognize their bullshit.

[saidsimplesimon]

3. Many Independents will vote for Biden. imo

Cindy McCain's endorsement, thank you Mrs. McCain

[AllTooEasy]

4. AZ is a Libertarian state, not Republican

Folks here vote Republican, mostly because Libertarians don’t stand a chance. Janet Napolitano (D) ran for governor here on the promises of not taking away guns, not raising taxes, being tough on crime, and being Liberal on everything else. She barely won, kept her promises. She had a %63 approval rating at the time she left office in 2008 to be Obama’s director of homeland security.