Former president Barack Obama at a get-out-the-vote rally in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. The rally, was held at the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sport Center on the University of Arizona campus. Harris campaign staffers estimated thousands of voters who attended the event.
Former President Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of thousands of Arizona voters today at a rally on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, encouraging them to make a plan to vote.
“We’ve got a chance to choose a new generation of leadership in this country and start building a better and stronger and fairer and more hopeful America,” Obama said.
During his speech, Obama addressed issues like the economy, recovering from the pandemic that caused prices to spike and put a strain on families. He also talked about how Vice President Kamala Harris would tackle the housing affordability crisis by cutting red tape and working with state and local governments.
“She’ll give first time home buyers up to $25,000 to help them with a down payment,” Obama said.
The former president also mentioned how Harris would work to lower healthcare expenses such as out-of-pocket costs and highlighted how she and President Joe Biden reduced the cost of insulin, hearing aids and prescription drugs.
Obama spoke about the Harris-Walz Administration’s plans to offer tax breaks to the middle class, including a potential $6,000 tax credit for new parents and a $50,000 tax credit for entrepreneurs starting small businesses.
He criticized former President Donald Trump for lobbying against a bipartisan border security deal saying, “Why was the number of undocumented immigrants basically the same when he left office as when he took office?”
Obama also took aim at Trump’s stance on reproductive rights, pointing out abortion bans in 20 states, before prompting voters to vote yes on Proposition 139, which would amend Arizona’s state constitution and establish the fundamental right to abortion.
“If we believe in freedom, then we should at least agree that such a deeply personal decision should be made by the woman whose body is involved, not by politicians,” Obama said. He emphasized that the election is about values.
“This election is not just about policies, plans or concepts of a plan, it’s about values. It’s about who we are, how we treat each other, the example we want to set for our children and their children. It’s about character,” Obama said.
Obama reflected on his friendship with the late U.S. Senator John McCain, noting that values can transcend party lines.
“I mean one of the most disturbing things about this election and Donald Trump’s rise in politics is how we seem to have set aside the values that people like John McCain stood for, values,” Obama said.
He also condemned Trump and Republican VP nominee JD Vance for spreading conspiracy theories about the Biden administration withholding aid from Republican areas after Hurricane Helene and giving it to undocumented immigrants.
“Some of them are not even applying for aid they are eligible for because they believe that there’s no point,” Obama said of families who have been impacted by the storm.
Obama endorsed other Democrats on the Arizona ballot, including Kirsten Engel who is running for Congress in the state’s sixth congressional district against Republican Juan Ciscomani and Ruben Gallego who is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican Kari Lake.
“We will keep building a country that is more fair and more just and more equal and more free,” Obama said. That is our job, that’s our responsibility.”
Harris campaign staffers said that about 7,000 people attended the rally.
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