A Republican mayor of Mesa, Arizona, is publicly supporting Kamala Harris, urging Arizona Republicans to vote for her over Trump, who he says is a “threat to America.”
John Giles is one of 21 Arizona mayors who have endorsed Harris. In Arizona, mayors do not run as Democrats or Republicans, but their party affiliation is notable when endorsing candidates.
Giles has refused to leave the Republican party, saying he remains steadfast that there is still room in the party for a more moderate centrist Republican.
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.
Reasons why the Arizona Republican cannot support Trump:
- He refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election
- He trashes the American legal system to delegitimize the 2020 election and erode trust in our institutions
- He orchestrated Arizona’s “fake elector” scheme
- He orchestrated a sham audit in Arizona by the Cyber Ninjas
- He blocked the border bill that would have addressed the border crisis in Arizona in order to exploit the problem for personal gain
- He treated Infrastructure Week like a joke
- He has threatened to abandon NATO
- His advisors and associates drafted Project 2025
- He’s crude and vulgar
Reasons why he isn’t only anti-Trump, he’s pro-Harris:
- Biden/Harris Administration delivered on infrastructue
- New jobs created in Arizona with the CHIPS Act
- A strong stance against gun violence
- A strong stance on women’s rights under assault by MAGA
We are in a moment that only happens once every few generations, when we have to defend democracy, and stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights. It is essential that we proceed in a manner that strengthens, rather than diminishes, public confidence in our democratic institutions.
We can choose a future for our children and grandchildren based on decency, respect and morality — or succumb to the crudeness and vulgarity of Trump and J.D. Vance and the far-right agenda they would champion.
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.