Four years ago, President Donald Trump won the battleground state of Arizona by some 100,000 votes, but with several moderate conservatives switching sides, Democratic challenger Joe Biden is leading, according to several polls, AFP reported. 

Prospect of a Democrat winning Arizona

The south-western state hasn’t elected a Democrat since Bill Clinton’s second win in 1996. However, it is undergoing major demographic changes. 

The state best known abroad for the Grand Canyon is seeing rapid growth in urban areas, among young college-educated voters, and in its robust Latino community — groups that tend to favor the Democratic Party.

Also, an average Arizona voter, whether Republican or Democrat, tends to be more moderate and is “tired of the President’s behavior and the rhetoric coming from his campaign,” according to Arizona State University politics lecturer Gina Woodall told AFP.

According to Woodall, Trump has a lot more to loose in the state. “If they lose Arizona, that just makes it that much more difficult… to get the 270” electoral college votes required for the presidency.

Arizona’s seven million people control 11 electoral college votes.

Trump, Biden campaign in Arizona

Both the campaigns have invested huge sums campaigning in the swing state.

Trump visited the state on Monday for his second rally of the month so far. Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris campaigned in the state on October 8.

Republicans switching sides

Josh Heaton, a moderate conservative voted for Trump in 2016 but “immediately” regretted his decision. “We didn’t feel like we had very good options” back then, the 43-year old engineer told AFP. 

“To be honest, until I voted I didn’t know who I was going to vote for. And I had some regrets immediately afterward,” he added.

Heaton thought Trump would “become more presidential” upon winning. “But that wasn’t the case,” added Heaton, who criticizes Trump’s handling of the pandemic, his free-spending fiscal policy and above all his “narcissism” and “perpetual lying.”

He is now switching sides and will vote for Biden, AFP reported. 

Until recently Heaton kept quiet, initially assuming that repentant former Trump voters like him were in the minority.

“I was shocked to learn that there were more of us because we were kind of in the silent… I don’t know… we might even be a majority.”

Now he has two banners on the front of his house, which read ‘Unity over Division’ and ‘Arizona Republicans for Biden’, AFP reported.

Kathleen McGovern (71), a lifelong Democrat, told AFP about several of her friends who confided in her that “they’re changing their vote”.