As Midterms Near Close, Arizonans Vote With Fears for Democracy

With Election Day here, Democrats are making last-minute appeals to rally their base and capture the support of independents. In Maricopa County, Arizona's largest and most critical voting bloc, that appeal focuses on the issues of bipartisanship and democracy.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who leads by one point according to the polling firm FiveThirtyEight, held a canvassing rally and a "Republicans for Mark Kelly" press conference on November 7. During both events, he pointed to his bipartisan record and stressed his perceived extremism of his GOP opponent, Blake Masters.

"[Masters] lied about 2020 saying President Trump won the election here in Arizona, and now he's doubled down on this conspiracy," Kelly said during the press conference, which Newsweek attended.

"On top of that, he calls people he disagrees with psychopaths and says outright that he will not work in a bipartisan way to get things done," Kelly continued. "He has said he will not work with moderate Republicans in the United States Senate if elected. Well, that's not how Arizona operates."

Joining Kelly at the press conference was former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley, a "lifelong Republican" who served from 1989 to 2005 and again in an interim role in 2010.

Romley, a Vietnam War veteran, emphasized Kelly's service to the county as a Navy pilot during the Gulf War and a NASA astronaut. However, he said that what led him to cross the political aisle and endorse Kelly was the 2020 election denialism he saw within the Republican Party.

"I made a conscious decision — I'm not usually a litmus test type of guy — but I've come to the conclusion that if you believe that the election was stolen, with absolutely no facts and nothing in support of that, that you're undermining the fundamentals of what America is about, I'm not going to support you," Romley told Newsweek.

FiveThirtyEight has reported that the GOP candidates for governor, secretary state, and attorney general have all "fully denied" the 2020 results. It reported that Masters has previously denied the results, but has since "accepted with reservations."

"The truth of the matter is, I think that people are wanting people to work across the aisle," Romley told Newsweek. "I think they're tired of things not getting done, and I think that they're tired of the fighting that's going on."

When Newsweek spoke with individuals exiting the voting location housed at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, they echoed Romley's sentiments.

Victoria Pina, a 33-year-old Hispanic woman, told Newsweek she identifies as an independent. She said she voted for Kelly and Democratic candidate for governor Katie Hobbs because she believes they would be better for American democracy.

"For me, it's about maintaining democracy," Pina told Newsweek. "So, the fact that their opponents are very big on the Big Lie conspiracy, that alone to me is ridiculous. At this point, it's like just trying to stay alive, keeping America from turning into that chaos."

Conspiracy theories about the 2020 election sit at the heart of Pina's concerns regarding the Republican party's relationship with democracy. Despite Arizona's local GOP officials carrying out extensive efforts to verify the 2020 results and to provide transparency for 2022, candidates like GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake continue to cast doubt on the process.

"Certainly one [of the gubernatorial candidates] is aligned more with Republicans and aligned with Trump, which is Kari Lake, and I have some concerns about that relationship," Charles Lucky, a 62-year-old African American man from Central Phoenix, told Newsweek.

Lucky said he tends to vote Democratic, but is "interested" in Republicans when they "got a great idea." He said this election cycle he is voting to help ensure Kelly is reelected, who he considers to be a "great guy." Abortion rights and democracy are also top of mind.

"It's been a pretty serious issue about retaining democratic values and not resorting to violence," Lucky told Newsweek. "Misinformation has also been a concern of mine."

This moment in history — where candidates continue to question facts, the country has seen a riot at its Capitol, and politicians face threats of violence — weighs on the mind of 63-year-old voter Rodney Seago of Tempe.

While he considers himself a Democrat and supports Kelly and Hobbs, he said he voted for some Republicans on the down ballot. The economy is a concern for him, but he said messaging "saying the election was rigged" has weighed heavily on his decision.

"I'm not voting for anybody that says that," he told Newsweek. "Nancy Pelosi husband's getting hit with a hammer — it's a wild time right now. I'm really concerned, whoever wins, which way it goes, I think if the Republicans lose, they've already indicated that they're going to contest the election."

Randi Haranzo, a 27-year-old woman from Phoenix, said she "leans Democrat" but has "some Republican views." Conspiracy theories and Trump's Big Lie concern her this election. The top of her ballot was won by Democrats.

"I would say [my most important issue] is maintaining our democracy and just the giving us the ability to vote and keeping the vote with the population and not necessarily just politicians and the judges," she told Newsweek. "I hope that things work out for the population, for everybody."

"I want our voters to benefit," Haranzo added.