Hillary Clinton supporters wait outside a Tucson rally. March 20, 2016Listen:
Arizona has been all but ignored in past presidential election campaigns, with the candidates working swing states and those with bigger numbers of party delegates and Electoral College votes.
Not this year. In the last five days, the candidates and their surrogates have been all over the state, from Flagstaff to the border at Douglas to make their pitches to the state's voters, who decide Tuesday on party nominees.
They all spoke of foreign affairs and the economy, and because they were in Arizona, they spoke about immigration.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz made a Friday visit to Douglas to meet with border ranchers and tour the border. He called the border a “national security crisis.”
“Nothing is more important than boots on the ground,” Cruz said. "When you detect an attempted incursion to be able to direct boots on the ground and be there quickly, not be there in six hours after they are already gone.
Republican Ted Cruz campaigns in Douglas, AZ. March 18, 2016Cruz brought up immigration a second time at a Friday night rally in Phoenix.
Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders visited the border Saturday morning after his Friday night rally in Tucson. He told the Tucson crowd that he supports "Dreamers," young undocumented immigrants brought into the country as children. Some have been granted special status by the Obama administration.
“I support President Obama’s DACA program, and that is why I would expand those programs to include the parents of Dreamers,” Sanders said.
Democrat Bernie Sanders campaigns in Tucson. March 18, 2016Sanders made a number of stops throughout Arizona over the weekend.
Republican Donald Trump held rallies in Phoenix and Tucson Saturday. During a raucous rally at the Tucson Convention Center marked by protests both inside and outside the building, Trump repeated his promise to build a wall on the U.S.- Mexico border.
“And are you ready? Who's going to pay for the wall?” Trump asked the crowd. The booming response: “Mexico!”
“100 percent, 100 percent Mexico is going to pay for the wall,” Trump said.
Republican Donald Trump campaigns in Tucson. March 19, 2016Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio introduced Trump at the Tucson rally. He promised the crowd that Trump would stop illegal immigration.
Former President Bill Clinton made a Tucson campaign stop Sunday for his wife, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“She really, really, really believes that we have to have comprehensive immigration reform,” Clinton said. "She really believes that we have to protect the Dreamers, and will enforce DACA, President Obama’s order. She really believes we have to stop demagogueing this issue.”
Former President Bill Clinton campaigns in Tucson for his wife Hillary Clinton. March 18, 2016Hillary Clinton will hold a get out the vote rally Monday afternoon in Phoenix.
Republican John Kasich was the only major party candidate not to stop in Arizona this primary season. On immigration he has said in the past that he supports a guest worker program and would “seal the border” using fencing, sensors and drones.
Arizona’s presidential preference election is winner take all for Republicans. Democrats will proportionally split their delegates.
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