Trump wins Arizona, but Haley takes nearly 20% of the GOP vote
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More than 20% of Republicans cast ballots against former President Trump in Arizona's presidential primary, while President Biden took nearly 90% of the Democratic votes as the two presumptive nominees cruised to easy victories.
Why it matters: Arizona is expected to be one of the most hotly contested swing states this year. Any sign of discontent among primary voters is worrisome for either campaign in a state that Biden won by just 10,457 votes in 2020.
Driving the news: Donald Trump secured 78% of the Republican ballots tabulated as of Wednesday morning.
- Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign halfway through early voting, won about 19%.
The other side: Critics of Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war asked voters to cast their ballots for Marianne Williamson as a protest. She got 3.5% of the Democratic vote.
- In other states, they cast "uncommitted" protest votes, but that was not an option in Arizona.
Flashback: In 2020, Biden was the first Democrat to win Arizona in 24 years.
Between the lines: Even though Biden and Trump both had their nominations locked up before the election, Axios saw a steady stream of voters on Tuesday at Phoenix's Madison Baptist Church.
- "It's important to show your support for Trump, no matter what," Phoenix resident Bente Hewitt told us.
- Phoenix resident Jason Scott said he viewed voting as a patriotic duty, even if the result in the Republican primary was a foregone conclusion.
What we're watching: Biden launched his Latino outreach campaign Tuesday, visiting Las Vegas and Phoenix.
- "You were a large part of why we beat Donald Trump. … I desperately need your help," Biden told supporters at El Portal, a Phoenix Mexican restaurant owned by longtime Democratic politicos Earl and Mary Rose Wilcox.
- He criticized Trump for his past comments about Latinos and immigrants, saying, "In 2016, he called Latinos criminals … and rapists. … What the hell is he talking about?"