Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, left, and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)
Vance spins, Walz wins
Tuesday night’s VP debate felt like a “Nice Midwestern White Guy” dance-off, but only one candidate really understood the assignment. Tim Walz leaned into his genuine, down-to-earth charm — the kind of guy you could easily picture shaking hands with folks. Meanwhile, JD Vance spent most of the evening mugging for the camera with that signature look of contempt whenever Walz spoke. Clearly, he didn’t get the memo.
But let’s not get too caught up in the theatrics and forget the real issue: immigration reform. While Walz stuck to the facts about Trump ordering Republicans to kill the border bill, Vance spun tall tales and dodged responsibility. Congress is the actual bottleneck here, not some make-believe “Harris Administration.” Maybe instead of constantly playing the “I grew up poor in Appalachia” card, Senator Vance could have focused on getting things done in Congress for the American people. Just a thought.
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Kim Miklofsky Bayne
Foothills
Re: the Aug. 2 article “Arizona training camp notes, practice 3 ... ”
Please, dear voters, stop and think about your presidential choices in this election. One choice is a known sexual predator and scam artist who has filed for bankruptcy several times. He has no kind words for our armed services men and women, calling them “suckers and losers.” And the other choice is a former state attorney general and U.S. Senator. As a deputy district attorney, she was known to be tough on gang violence, drug trafficking and sexual abuse.
Check out these facts and more on your own. And then vote for the only true choice, Kamala Harris. For the people.
Melody Luepke
East side
Clarifying Ciscomani’s voting record
If ever we needed fact-checking for political ads and debates, it is now! The candidate running against Juan Ciscomani is attacking him for “striking down” the bipartisan border bill. And I believed it. I was convinced Ciscomani voted against it. I was embarrassed to discover that said vote never even occurred! The House of Representatives never voted on the bill. They never had a chance to because the bill died twice in the Senate. The bill’s author, U.S. Senator Kirsten Sinema, was unable to garner enough support in her own chamber to get it over to her House colleagues. To set the record straight, it is worth noting that Ciscomani introduced H.R. 5585, which would place a federal penalty for fleeing law enforcement to address high-speed car chases in border communities. H.R. 5585 passed the House with all Republicans and 56 Democrats. Turns out this inconvenient fact was overlooked.
Ira & Dana Haskell
Midtown
Supporting Sheriff Nanos
With 48 years of law enforcement experience no one is more qualified to be Sheriff of Pima County than Chris Nanos. Sheriff Nanos has the training, practical knowledge, understanding and professionalism that is required to oversee the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. Vote for Sheriff Chris Nanos!
Maureen and Sandy Salz
Oro Valley
Supporting Rex Scott
As a longtime community advocate and 27-year resident of the Catalina foothills, I have known and worked with Rex for the last four years. I have worked with many supervisors in District 1 over the years and Rex stands out as a true community advocate on a wide range of topics. Rex has championed and helped to create solutions to key issues, including access to early education programs, gun reform, intergenerational poverty, economic development, public safety, access to parks and recreation facilities, affordable housing, and long-range comprehensive land use and resource planning in Eastern Pima County.
As our community faces daunting challenges such as climate change, affordable housing and water resource scarcity we need someone of Rex’s caliber representing District 1. We need someone who sees, and solves, not only the issues impacting citizens today, but future residents as well. Vote for Rex Scott for District 1 Pima County Supervisor.
Diana Freshwater
Foothills
Late-term abortion is a tragedy
Late term abortion is a tragedy. Late term abortion is a tragedy because it means that something tragic is going on with the pregnant woman or the fetus. Late-term abortion is a tragedy because hard, painful decisions must be made that will affect the woman’s health, her ability to have more children or her very life. Late-term abortions are rare and risky. No one makes the decision to have a late term abortion lightly.
Late-term abortion is a tragedy but not allowing late-term abortions turns a tragedy into devastation. Keep maternal health care available throughout a woman’s pregnancy. Vote to keep abortion safe and legal.
Patricia Buls
Midtown
Another conservative votes for Harris
I’m a moderate conservative who has voted for the Republican presidential nominee since 1964 (including in 2020!) But Donald Trump has unmasked himself for what he really is — unstable, untrustworthy, egocentric, and vengeful. Perhaps many can get around those faults, plus his misogyny and racism, but I can’t.
Why are so many who served in the highest positions in his prior term coming out to expose him? Because they’ve seen his behavior and decision-making up close. Not only is he a danger to democracy, the U.S., and the world, but the Supreme Court has given him near-total immunity to act. That is scary.
If there were a credible, moderate conservative such as John Kasich on the ballot, he or she would have my vote. But, for now, I’m voting for a pragmatic, tough, fair-minded, experienced woman.
A vote for Harris is not a vote for liberalism; it’s a vote for sanity. Moderate Republicans, I urge you to put country over party.
Bruce Grossetta
East side
Another damning non-answer
If you missed the prime-time VP debate on October 2, don’t worry. You really didn’t need to sit through the entire 88 minutes. All you really needed to hear was a few sentences from each of the candidates in response to the final question about Donald Trump’s refusal to admit he lost the 2020 election.
Tim Walz: January 6 was not a Facebook ad. And I think (you gave) a revisionist history on this. This was a threat to our democracy in a way that we had not seen. And it manifested itself because of Donald Trump’s inability to say, he is still saying, he didn’t lose the election.
I would just ask that. Did he lose the 2020 election?
J.D. Vance: Tim, I’m focused on the future. Did Kamala Harris censor Americans for speaking their mind in the weeks of the 2020 COVID situation?
Tim Walz: That is a damning non-answer.
Beverly Goodwin
East side
Blame the Immigrants!
My home insurance bill for the coming year went up by 25% and I wondered why that was. I’ve made no claims. The Tucson neighborhood in which I live is not prone to fires nor floods. There has not been an increase in burglaries. Then I turned on the V.P. debate and JD Vance explained it to me — it’s those millions of illegal immigrants!
Now I get it! Drug prices are too high because of illegal immigrants. Medical insurance is too expensive because of illegal immigrants. Workers do not get decent wages because of competition from illegal immigrants, not because billionaires are taking every dime for their selves. It is only coincidence that forty years of Ronald Reagan’s nonsensical trickle-down economics has impoverished millions while creating vast fortunes for people like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk (buddies of DJT).
Hitler had Jews to blame for all of Germany’s problems. Trump has immigrants.
Robin Steinberg
Midtown
MAGA extremists
Every time I hear a Liberal refer to a candidate as a MAGA extremist, it is easy to question what is wrong with that? Start with an understanding of MAGA: Make America Great Again. Why would anyone object to the goal of MAGA? During the last four years, Biden and Harris have stood by watching the economy collapse, or causing the results, and then claimed to fix all of the problems without understanding the cause. Anyone that believes Harris can fix anything, understands as little as Harris. But that damage started with the results of the Trump administration, 1% inflation and gas under $2.00, then Biden/Harris gave us 20% inflation and $5.00 gas.
MAGA extremists are those people that want to make America the greatest it has ever been, but liberals don’t want anyone to believe in that so the only choice is to make “MAGA extremist” a bad thing. No liberal wants America to be great again, unless they can get something out of it.
Loran Hancock
Northwest side
Cognitive decline?
Doctors do a quick oral exam to test cognitive faculties when people reach a certain age. Often one is asked “Who is the President of the USA?” The VP Republican candidate cannot or will not answer that query which puts his cognitive and ethical abilities in question. Anyone who ignores Republican-appointed judges, Republican- elected county recorders, and Republican governors who affirmed that the 2020 presidential election was won by Joe Biden, is not fit for any office.
Judith Sartore
Downtown
The world is watching and holding its breath
I was on a trip recently to Croatia with friends. We met people on our tour from Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany.
When I said we were from the US, there was a tense pause and someone replied “We don’t understand how Americans can re-elect such a horrible person and convicted felon as president.”
If you’ve traveled you know that foreigners know more about our political system than many Americans seem to.
It hit me hard how much my vote means to people around the globe.
The entire world will be watching and holding its breath as we cast our votes.
Will we continue to lead the world in fighting for democracy with Kamala Harris and her policies of hope and aspiration?
Or will we doom ourselves and the world to a hate filled authoritarian Trump who will destroy our country and the world’s chances for peace and progress?
For the sake of our country and the world, we must make the right choice.
Rachel Rulmyr
Oro Valley
Vote Nanos out
My nephew, Bradley “Alex” Lewis, was shot and killed by police in January 2021 at just 19 years old, unarmed, and in his grandparents’ driveway. In the aftermath, Sheriff Nanos made disturbing allegations against him, primarily based on hearsay rather than facts. His office also allowed a misleading report to circulate, which the District Attorney later retracted and ordered to be redone.
Crucially, Sheriff Nanos failed to conduct a proper investigation or secure vital evidence, such as the patrol car’s data recorder, which was only retrieved years later due to outside demands, when nothing could be recovered. This lack of transparency contributed to his previous removal from office, and it’s time for Tucson to demand accountability again. Tucson deserves better leadership that prioritizes truth and justice. As they say, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
Keith Lewis
Catalina Foothills School Board election
As a longtime educator in CFSD, I can’t stress enough how vital it is that our school board stay on our current track. That means electing Jackson, Davoli, & Logue to the CFSD Board. My husband and I are both graduates of this district. My son is a kindergartener at Manzanita. To say I am invested in this election would be an understatement. CFSD is consistently recognized as one of the top in the state — and the Students First candidates will help keep it that way. The board has been a pivotal force in helping our students gain the transferrable skills that go beyond a classroom. The other candidates showed their true colors in the previous election and do not have our students’ best interests at heart. For them, this is about politics as they don’t even have any children in CFSD. For Davoli, Logue, and Jackson, it truly is about putting Students First. Please consider the needs of our kids when you vote. We are counting on you.
Julie Michel
Foothills
For the good of all?
I agree 100% with Sharon Green of Green Valley that we should vote for the good of all. However, I’m a Democrat and not part of a socialist communist group like Sharon seems to think. If Sharon actually believed that voting for the good of all is great she would try to understand the difference between Democratic ideals and what communism/socialism really is. She seems to have forgotten the fact that her choice for prez (apparently) the guy that did everything he could to illegally stay in office wasn’t doing it for the good of all, but only for himself. So, please vote for the person that believes we all deserve a chance and not some self-serving person that’s only out for himself.
John Bingham
Northwest side
Breathe easier, Arizona
Are you as concerned about climate change, air quality, and high energy costs as I am? Your vote will make a difference.
Elect all three Democratic candidates running for the Arizona Corporation Commission: scientist Jonathon Hill, climate advocate Joshua Polacheck, and water expert Ylenia Aguilar. Unlike the current Republican commissioners who are bolstering air-polluting, water-hungry and expensive fossil fuels, they are committed to investing in clean solar energy, controlling and reducing the cost of electricity, and gaining energy independence.
Elect Kamala Harris, who will continue Biden’s massive investments in clean energy across the nation which includes twenty-four solar manufacturing projects in Arizona alone that are providing cleaner air and over 65,500 clean energy jobs.
With cleaner air, lower energy costs, energy independence, and steady job creation, we will all breathe easier.
Tina Whitley
Northeast side
