As the Republican National Committee (RNC) shifts its focus to the 2024 election, the Trump campaign is adopting a new strategy to avoid the mistakes of the past. In Arizona, where the GOP suffered a crushing loss in 2020, the party is working to build a strong grassroots presence and leverage early voting initiatives to cement a win in the Grand Canyon State.
According to Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda, the party has made significant strides in developing relationships with conservative grassroots groups and embracing Democrats’ early voting initiatives. “Team Trump is in full force on the ground in Arizona,” Swoboda said in July, noting that the party has a robust field operation with dedicated staff and volunteers working to turn out Arizona voters for Trump this November.
The Trump campaign has established six election offices in Arizona, with plans to open more later this summer. The offices are part of a broader initiative, dubbed Trump Force 47, which aims to build a grassroots ground game, strengthen coordination with the RNC, and develop an army of volunteers to prevent a repeat of Trump’s 2020 loss.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley has been instrumental in the party’s efforts, describing the initiative to recruit 5,000 volunteer election observers across the state. The RNC has also launched an election integrity initiative, which aims to have over 100,000 volunteers and attorneys across every battleground state.
Whatley’s appearance at the opening of the Casa Grande office was not an isolated incident. The RNC and Arizona GOP have cultivated a close relationship this election cycle, with Whatley and co-Chairwoman Lara Trump working together to ensure the party’s efforts are coordinated and effective.
The 2024 campaign is focusing on lessons learned from the 2020 election, which saw Democrats successfully engage rural voters through early voting initiatives. Arizona’s GOP is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, with RNC communications director Halee Dobbins noting that the party has learned that mail-in ballots are now the norm.
To build a strong ground game, the RNC is partnering with outside conservative grassroots groups, including Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The organization has become a vital ally in the party’s efforts to generate more ballots among mid-to-low propensity voters and partisan voter registration in battleground states like Arizona.
In June, Kirk hosted Trump at a “Chase the Vote” event in Phoenix, where the former President urged Republicans to vote so the election would be “too big to rig.” Kirk backed up Trump’s strategy, saying the party will make November “too big to rig” by overwhelming the ballot boxes.
As the election season heats up, a good ground game is crucial for Republicans’ chances. However, President Joe Biden’s incoherent debate performance may be helping the party even more. A recent poll by Puck showed Biden losing 2 percentage points in Arizona after the June 27 debate, while another poll by the New York Times showed Trump leading Biden by 5 points.
