Biden says Democrats have chance in Arizona
(CNN) - Arizona has voted for only one Democratic presidential candidate in 60 years, but Vice President Joe Biden sounded a confident note in the state Thursday, telling a crowd at a fundraising event in Phoenix there was a chance to turn the state blue in November.
"We think we have a real shot at winning the presidential race here in Arizona," Biden said at the event, which was part of a West Coast campaign swing for the vice president.
Biden added the re-election campaign of President Barack Obama was actively working to generate support in the state.
"You're going to see organizers here," Biden said.
Biden's stop in Arizona comes just a day ahead of a visit to the state from all-but-certain GOP nominee Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor will drop by the meeting of the Republican National Committee, taking place in Scottsdale and will address state Republican Party chairmen at a luncheon Friday.
Arizona has consistently voted Republican for decades, with the single Democratic win coming in 1996 for Bill Clinton. In 2008, Obama made an effort to win Arizona, despite being pitted against a longtime senator from the state, John McCain. Obama eventually lost to McCain by an 8-point margin.
Since then, however, Latinos have grown in population, boosting Democrats' confidence in winning Arizona. Latinos made up 16% of the electorate in 2008, which was an increase from four years earlier.
Democrats see Latinos as an important voting bloc in Arizona/ Obama won the demographic by 15 percentage points in 2008, 56% to 41%.
Despite the confidence, Democrats' efforts in Arizona were labeled a "mirage" by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus on a conference call Monday, during which he unveiled a new attempt by Republicans to court Hispanic voters.
"The Obama team is setting up a mirage that somehow Arizona is going to be an Obama state or in play," Priebus said on the conference call. "It's a Republican state, it's a red state. We're going to be there, obviously it's not going to be ignored at all, but to put it in the category of a targeted or battleground state is a mindset that we're not adhering to right now."
only way the dems win arizona is if they get all the illegals into the voting booth. with new id laws, illegals will have a harder time voting. dems just love violating the law and will do whatever it takes to win.
Go get them Mr. Vice President.
I am FOR Obama, but ARIZONA?
Let's turn Arizona blue in 2012
Latinos for Obama 2012
Actually two choices – slim and none.
Any one who has head will vote to Obama.
With all the noise the media is making about Romney's wealth, I don't recall such bluster and hand-wringing over the Kennedy fortune.
Or, for that matter, John Kerry.
Or the fact that John Kerry gave virtually nothing to charity while Romneys gave something on the order of $4 million...in addition to his entire inheritance from his father.
Oh. Wait. I just remembered.
Romney is Republican.
Kerry and the Kennedys are Democrats.
Also, Romney worked for his money.
Kennedy inherited his.
And Kerry married it.
Never mind. Nothing to see here folks. Move along.
President Obama 2012...Si se puede
Ok. I'll say it...how much of the latino population increase in AZ are (1) legal citizens, and (2) are registerd to vote and (3) have valid ID to go an vote?
The only chance democrats have in Arizona is if they figure out how to get all the illegals to vote for them.