By Corinne Murdock |
A joint effort by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Republican Party of Arizona (AZGOP) resulted in engagement with one million voters this election cycle.
That effort, “Arizona Victory,” relied on volunteers to carry out door knocking, phone calls, and communications to encourage voting. The latest voter registration data revealed that well over 1.4 million voters (34 percent) registered as Republicans, slightly over 1.4 million (33 percent) registered in the catch-all “other” listing (independent voters, those without a party preference, and those whose party isn’t considered major), while just under 1.3 million (31 percent) registered as Democrats. As the dominant group, Republicans have over 147,600 more voters than Democrats and nearly 33,400 more voters than the “other” category.
That reflects an increase in Republican and “other” voter registrations, and a loss in Democratic voter registration since the 2020 primary election. Republican registrations increased by nearly 44,900 voters, and “other” registrations increased by over 128,200 voters. Democrat registrations decreased by nearly 5,900 voters.
All parties lost registrations when compared to the 2020 general election. Democrats lost over 91,100 voters, Republicans lost over 73,900, and “other” registrations reduced by over 107,300.
Despite having a lead in voter registrations in the 2020 general election, former President Donald Trump amassed nearly 10,500 less votes than current President Joe Biden.
The Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate earned over 51,400 votes: 13,000 more voters than total registered libertarians. The other five presidential candidates representing either no party, the “Constitution” party, or the “Socialism and Liberation” party earned just over 2,000 votes, cumulatively.
(Source: Secretary of State’s Office)
The current state voter registration numbers reflect a shift in voter outlooks between 2020 and this year, from party affiliation to “other.” This is a shift also reflected by the state’s largest county (over half of all voters reside in Maricopa County). As AZ Free News reported in June, over 5,000 voters in Maricopa County switched their party affiliation to “other.” A majority of those voters were Democrats, numbering over 2,1000, followed by Republicans, over 1,700, and over 1,000 individuals switching between classifications within the “other” category.
In a video congratulating the RNC and AZGOP for engaging more voters, Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08) urged further GOP mobilization.
“We need every volunteer out there making phone calls, going to doors, doing everything that they can, telling their neighbors and their friends to vote Republican,” said Lesko. “You know as well as I that President Biden and the Democrats are ruining our country, and we have to take it back.”
This year’s primary election has nearly 170,900 more registered voters than the 2020 primary election. It’s the highest voter registration for a primary, ever. However, nearly 296,100 voters registered between the 2020 primary and general elections. There were about 125,000 more voters registered in the 2020 general election than the current primary.
The primary elections are Tuesday, August 2.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.