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Celebrities campaign for Harris in Phoenix before early voting begins

Posted on by Vanessa
Celebrities campaign for Harris in Phoenix before early voting begins

TV character Olivia Pope may not be able to get Kamala Harris elected in real life, but the actress who plays the popular political fixer on “Scandal” launched the campaign on October 6 to attract voters for Vice President Kamala Harris to win in Arizona.

Kerry Washington stormed the battleground state with a star-studded campaign cast including actors Glenn Close, Jessica Alba and Michael Ealy.

“I’m not here as Olivia Pope. I'm here because I want each of you to remember how powerful you are,” Washington said Sunday at a campaign office in Maryvale, a reference to the character she played on “Scandal.” “Each of you has the power to change the trajectory of this country.”

Election Day is less than a month away, and mail-in ballots are being sent out even earlier across Arizona. The last day to register to vote in the presidential election in Arizona is October 7th and early voting begins October 9th.

The presidential campaigns are focused on Arizona because it is one of the few states on the Electoral College map where any candidate could win. President Joe Biden won here by the narrowest margin of any state in 2020.

According to recent polls, the race between Harris and former President Donald Trump is dead in Arizona. To widen that gap, Harris campaign officials focused on Latino and black voters during their time in Phoenix.

“I am here as a proud American citizen, as a Latina, as a mother and as a member of the community,” Alba said in Maryvale. “I grew up in a working-class family, my parents lived paycheck to paycheck, everyone worked multiple jobs, and it's not that much fun just making ends meet. And Kamala Harris promises an opportunity economy in which we will no longer just make ends meet, but thrive.”

Washington, Close, Ealy and Alba visited two Democratic campaign offices in Phoenix and appeared at a block party for black voters during their campaign.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice also campaigned for Harris throughout the day, along with Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego, the secretary of state of Arizona Adrian Fontes and Democratic congressional candidate Yassamin Ansari.

Holder spent most of his time on stage boosting Harris and arguing against Trump, but he took a moment to slam Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake's attempt to overturn the 2022 gubernatorial election.

“There are some crazy people here in Arizona,” Holder said. “Kari Lake still thinks she won four years ago?”

Washington, who supported Harris on stage at the Democratic National Convention in August, referenced her “Scandal” character several times to drive home the importance of being politically active in real life, not just on television.

After Trump was elected president in 2016, so many people called on Washington's character to fix things that the name “Olivia Pope” began trending on social media, Washington told the block party crowd at Warehouse215.

“Olivia Pope shouldn't have been on everyone's lips because Olivia Pope isn't real. Olivia Pope can't vote. She can't register voters, she can't knock on doors, she can't make phone calls, she can't donate. She doesn’t have the power that each and every one of you has,” Washington said. “We are the answer to the problems we face.”

Speaking to reporters after the event, Ealy said he was confident Arizona would vote for Democrats in November. He also addressed polling data that shows some young men of color are turning to Trump, saying he found it difficult to understand why anyone would support the former president.

“If I was able to walk up to them and talk to them, I think there would be a way to hear them and then turn that into something more positive, something more realistic,” Ealy said. “No “One person can come to me and tell me that Trump’s policies will benefit the black community.”

The first weekend of October marked the start of a busy week of campaigning in Arizona. Actress Jennifer Garner campaigned for Harris on October 5 alongside former Trump administration official Stephanie Grisham.

The second Mr. Doug Emhoff will be in Arizona for campaign events on Oct. 8, and Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is hosting a campaign rally in support of Trump the same day. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' running mate, will fly to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Oct. 8 and campaign in Phoenix and Tucson on Oct. 9.

Additionally, Republican Donald Trump Jr. has scheduled six political events on October 9 to promote early voting for his father, hosted by the political group Turning Point Action.

Later this week, Harris will come to Arizona for the second time in two weeks to campaign and promote early voting. The vice president traveled to the Arizona-Mexico border in late September.

As Harris's Hollywood representatives wrapped up their day of campaigning, all the actors wore camouflage baseball caps with the words “HARRIS WALZ” written in orange letters.

Close, who played Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance's grandmother in the film adaptation of his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” said she felt compelled to run for the Democratic primary because of her growing family.

“I'm having my first grandchild in January and I'm here because of him. I'm here because of people who don't have a voice. We have so much to heal in this country, and to heal we need everyone together,” Close said. “I have a brother who has very, very different political views, but I'm sure I've always thought the most important thing is to love him no matter what.”

Harris supporters who attended the Oct. 6 events said they were motivated to keep Trump away from the White House.

“We have to make sure that the other person doesn’t win. We don’t need another four years from him,” said Jesse Ortega, 33, of Glendale.

Robin Ramsey, who lives in Berkley, California, will remain in Arizona until Election Day to knock on doors and cast votes. Ramsey has traveled to Colorado and Nevada to campaign in past election cycles, she said.

“This year I feel like the stakes are exponentially higher,” Ramsey said.

Ijana Harris, a lawyer who lives in Tempe, also believes the November elections are particularly important. She attended the block party in downtown Phoenix with Takiyah Anderson of Gilbert, who works in cybersecurity.

“We think it's important to be civically engaged, and if we can get our kids out and give them an opportunity to learn about the historic election, then we've come to support them and get involved,” said Ijana Harris.

Ijana Harris is dismayed that Trump is the Republican nominee despite his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, his sexual assault allegations and his felony convictions.

“I feel like this election goes beyond politics, and when people talk about different political positions and policies, I feel like there's so much more at stake in this election. “It's really what we're for as a people, as a country and as a community,” said Ijana Harris.

“With all the things he’s done, including the sexual assault and the slander, he wouldn’t get a job anywhere, right? And there are all these black Americans who are disenfranchised and can't get jobs for the same thing, and yet he's preparing to sit in this highest office,” she added.

Anderson agreed with that assessment of Trump's candidacy and said she attended Sunday's event because it was important to get involved in politics.

“It comes down to us doing our part, being diligent and just continuing the fight so we can get back to what politics should be,” Anderson said.

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