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Biden’s upcoming visit to Arizona will be his first to a Native community since taking office, where he plans to highlight his administration’s achievements with tribal communities.
“The President will discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s record of delivering for Tribal communities, including keeping his promise to make this historic visit to Indian Country — his first as President,” the White House stated.
The president will travel to Phoenix on Thursday and remain in the area overnight. On Friday morning, he is set to visit the Gila River Indian Community, located near Phoenix and Chandler, for a speech. Later that day, he will fly from Phoenix to Wilmington, Delaware, for the weekend.
This visit comes less than two weeks before the election, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), her running mate, also visited the Gila River Indian Community earlier this month.
Arizona Democrats are focusing on boosting voter turnout in the state’s tribal communities, which include over 300,000 Native Americans. In the Navajo Nation, Arizona’s largest tribal community with 67,000 eligible voters, Biden is estimated to receive between 60% and 90% of the vote, according to Vox. ABC15 Arizona’s precinct map analysis from 2020 indicated that most precincts covering the Tohono O’odham Nation voted over 90% for Biden.
Gila River Indian Community Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis emphasized the significance of the tribal vote in the upcoming election. “The whole country is focused on the blue wall, but I want to remind everyone that there is also a tribal wall of voters that is made up of large tribal populations in five of the swing states. Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, and Michigan all have substantial tribal populations,” Lewis stated during Walz’s visit earlier in October. “The tribal vote has never been more important,” he added.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running for Senate, has committed to visiting all 22 tribal communities in Arizona, having already visited 20. Recently, he undertook an eight-hour hike into the Grand Canyon to connect with the Havasupai, the most remote tribal community in the continental U.S., which can only be accessed by mule, helicopter, or on foot.
“This type of outreach is the kind of thing that matters,” Gallego told NBC 12 News during the hike. “Especially if you want to govern.”
The Havasupai tribe, consisting of around 500 members, has lived in the canyon for over 800 years. In 2020, only 152 residents registered to vote, with 62 casting ballots in the presidential election, where Biden won with 57 votes compared to former President Donald Trump’s five.
“They deserve to be heard,” Gallego said.
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