11 March 28th-april 3rd, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | The good news for Biden is that in the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, 110,423 Republicans voted for Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who, until recently, was chal- lenging Trump’s stranglehold on the party. Surely, those voters will be potential targets for the Biden campaign. The bottom line is this race is close as hell. Biden to Arizona Latinos: ‘I desperately need your help’ The Biden campaign is staying away from the gruesome topic of civilian deaths in Gaza and focusing its energy elsewhere: toward courting Latino voters and high- lighting the president’s economic policies. On the day of the primary, Biden made a stop in Phoenix and launched a Latino outreach campaign. He spoke to an audi- ence of about 75 supporters at El Portal, a Mexican restaurant and community main- stay in South Phoenix. Getting Latino voters to support his reelection campaign is critical for Biden’s chances of winning Arizona in November and, consequently, winning the election. “You’re the reason why in large part I beat Donald Trump,” Biden appealed to Latinos at the event. “I desperately need your help.” Biden’s remarks focused partly on Trump’s demonization of immigrants. In December, Trump said immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of America. Biden also hit on his working-class background and his administration’s poli- cies that brought the economy back from the dark days of the coronavirus pandemic. That night, Biden breezed to a primary win. Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano released a written state- ment brimming with confidence about November. “Four years ago, Arizonans’ values for Democracy and unity in the face of Donald Trump’s campaign of divisiveness, retribu- tion and revenge helped secure President Biden’s win, and this year, we’re confident that our state will choose President Biden’s vision of unity and progress again,” Bejarano said. “If tonight’s results are any indication, Arizona will deliver again this November,” she added. The Arizona Republic reported that Bejarano voiced concern after the El Portal event about efforts to make Latino voters aware of what the administration has been doing. “I think it’s that we have not been talking to folks about the issues that President Biden has been delivering on,” Bejarano told the Republic. “Things like jobs, the CHIPS Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, lowering prescription drug prices.” Republican state lawmakers’ efforts to pass controversial immigration bills also may help mobilize more Latino voters against Trump and other Republicans down the ballot, with Latino groups such as Living United for Change in Arizona planning ambitious voter outreach efforts. On March 20, Biden announced that Intel Corp. will receive up to $8.5 billion in federal grants, making it one of the largest federal investments in U.S. semiconductor chip manufacturing. Semiconductor chips are essential for a wide range of electronic products and historically have been manu- factured in countries other than the U.S. The grants come from the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which Biden signed as part of a strategy to revive domestic manufacturing. Several Democratic Valley leaders joined Biden for the announcement, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, Rep. Greg Stanton and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. Gallego called the investment a “game- changer” for the entire Phoenix metro area in a written statement. “As we fast become the nation’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing and a hub for the industry’s robust supply chain, we are ushering in thousands of high-wage jobs — many of which do not require a four- year degree,” Gallego said. “I am grateful to the president.” Biden Blowback from p 8 Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego spoke prior to President Joe Biden’s remarks at Intel’s Ocotillo Campus in Chandler on March 20. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
