Vice President Harris on Thursday went after former President Trump, calling it weak to not agree to another debate after he shut the door on a second match-up.
“I think it’s a disservice to the voters. I also think, it’s a pretty weak move,” she said at a rally in Chandler, Ariz. “But even if he will not debate, the contrast in this election is already clear. This election is about two very different visions… for our nation. One, his, focused on the past. The other, ours, focused on the future.”
Trump made it clear on Wednesday that there would be no second debate in the closing weeks of the campaign after Harris and her team have called for another one ever since the last debate in September. Harris on Thursday accepted an invitation from CNN to participate in a town hall later this month.
Harris in Arizona said the U.S. is ready for “a new optimistic generation of leadership for our country” while acknowledging how close the race is in pivotal swing states like Arizona.
“This will be a very tight race until the very end. We are the underdog, we are the underdog,” she said as the people in the crowd started barking.
Trump has a 1.2 percentage point lead over Harris in Arizona, polling at 48.9 percent compared to her 47.7 percent, according to an aggregation of polls from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill.
While in Arizona, Harris paid homage to the late former Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), recalling when McCain walked into the well of the Senate and voted against, with a thumbs down, repealing the Affordable Care Act during the Trump administration.
“That vote was the late great John McCain,” Harris said. “A great American, a war hero, John McCain.”
She also called on Arizonians to vote for Proposition 139 on the ballot in November, which would establish the right to abortion access. Arizona in September reverted to a 15-week abortion ban after it repealed its abortion law from 1864 that banned nearly all abortions except in the cases to save the life of the mother.
Harris, at the top of her rally, said that there is a “sacred” relationship between tribal nations and the U.S., adding that she vowed as a president to honor tribal sovereignty. She met with Native American youth leaders from across Arizona ahead of her remarks.
She also spoke about Hurricane Milton and the federal response effort. According to the campaign, over 7,000 people attended the Arizona rally, which was held at the Rawhide Western Town & Event Center.
