Harris shores up support from this border-state elected official with crucial endorsement

The Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, John Giles, has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic nominee, for president.  

Giles, who has been the mayor of the Phoenix suburb for 10 years, said he plans to put “country over party” this election instead of backing the top of the Republican ticket: former President Donald Trump. Giles joins a list of Arizona mayors supporting Harris, including Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero.

“I believe my party has a moral and ethical responsibility to restore faith in our democratic institutions. In the spirit of the late Sen. John McCain’s motto, ‘Country First,’ I call on other Arizona Republicans to join me in choosing country over party this election and to vote against Donald Trump,” Giles wrote in an op-ed published in the Arizona Republic on Monday. 

He said that because “Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct,” believing “the time has come for my fellow Arizona Republicans to return to the core foundations of the Grand Old Party.”

Giles said he believes Trump did not support Arizona’s cities during his presidency, pointing to “election denialism and an erosion of trust in our justice system.”

“The Grand Canyon State is ground zero in the fight against repeated false claims to disrupt our electoral process — from fake presidential electors attempting to undermine Arizona’s election, to a sham ‘audit’ by Arizona Senate Republicans that was spurred by conspiracy theories,” Giles wrote.

The Arizona-Mexico border spans over 370 miles, and Giles blamed any existing problems at the southern border on Trump.

“Significant reforms to immigration and border policies that would have addressed the crisis at our southern border were blocked by Trump because he didn’t want the problem solved. He wanted to exploit it for personal political gain,” Giles said.

He viewed President Joe Biden’s administration as better delivering for Arizonans as compared to the Trump administration. Giles pointed to “historic federal funding” at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport under Biden’s Infrastructure Act and the CHIPS Act.

Mesa is the third-largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix and Tucson, and it is the 36th-largest city in the United States. Giles is not up for election this year as he is term-limited.

“Arizona leaders like McCain and Sen. Mark Kelly have embodied the commitment to country over party. And it’s that same high caliber of character and leadership I see in Vice President Harris,” Giles wrote. 

“It will take Arizona Republicans, independents and Democrats standing together against a far-right agenda. Let us put country over party by voting to stop Trump and protect our democracy,” he concluded.