Saturday 5 November 2022 09:31 PM Jill Biden spreads the get out the vote message in crucial Arizona Senate race trends now
Jill Biden urged Democrats to vote, vote, vote as she campaigned with embattled Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in Arizona on Saturday as polls show the critical race tightening.
Kelly's race against Republican Blake Masters is in a virtual tie, polls show, in a contest that could decide which party controls the Senate next year. And the first lady emphasized repeatedly the need for people to vote. Early voting has started in the state.
'What you do on November 8 will not just set the course for the future of Arizona, you'll decide the future of our country as well,' she told the cheering crowd.
Republicans are favored to win the House in Tuesday's midterm election. And new forecasts show the Senate leaning toward the GOP. But even just wining one chamber of Congress would let Republicans stymie President Joe Biden's legislative agenda.
Jill Biden expressed confidence Democrats will prevail on Tuesday. Asked by DailyMail.com of Democrats chances in the midterms, she said: 'Good' and gave a thumb's up.
Early voting totals show a slight nationwide advantage among Republicans, which is a worrying sign for Democrats. Barack Obama was in Arizona on Wednesday to fire up voters for the Democratic ticket.
More than 1 million Arizonans have already cast their ballots in the state, which also has a competitve gubernatorial contest. In that race, Republican Keri Lake has a slight lead on Democratic nominee Katie Hobbs.
At her events on Saturday, Jill Biden repeatedly urged Democrats to vote and to take their friends, families and neighbors with them.
'Help us make sure that your friends and your neighbors and your parents and your school groups and your book groups, all go out and vote. That’s how we win,' she said.
She pointed out 'this race is going to be close so put voting at the top of your to do list.'
The first lady has been hitting the campaign trail hard for Democrats the past few weeks, making appearances in crucial states like New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Florida.
Going into Tuesday's election, polls show a heavy lack of enthusiasm among black, Latino and young voters - typical voting blocs for Democrats.
Early voting numbers back up those polls with Republicans faring largely better across the country when it comes to casting an early ballot. At least 38.9 million people have voted in the 2022 general election as of Saturday afternoon, according to the United States Elections Project.
The midterm election will be seen as a referendum on the first two years of Biden's presidency.
Voters have labeled the economy and the high rate of inflation as their top concerns. They give the president low marks for his stewardship of it in a show of frustration with the high cost of living.
Republicans have battered the president on the economic state of the nation and slammed him for the high rate of crime around the country.
Jill Biden campaigned with Democratic Senator Mark Kelly in Arizona on Saturday
Jill Biden gives Senator Mark Kelly a hug
Arizona is one of the key contests for Democrats, as are Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Nevada, where candidates are separated by just a couple of points in the last-minute surveys.
Senator Kelly, in his remarks on Saturday, was critical of Masters for wanting to cut programs like Social Security and Medicare - a message Democrats are pushing about Republicans in the closing days. He also claimed Masters would cut taxes for the rich.
And he pointed to Masters ties to former President Donald Trump.
Masters has pushed Trump's false claim that he won the
