Arizona GOP’s path to victory runs through older voters

Independent Newsmedia/Charlene Bisson

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OPINION — In Arizona, as across the country, the most reliable voting bloc is hiding in plain sight: voters 50 and older. If Republicans are smart, they won’t hand Democrats an easy win by ignoring them.

In 2024, Arizonans 65 and older cast 32% of the vote, and those ages 50 to 64 added another 24%. That’s more than half the electorate.

Arizona’s competitive races are close, but among 50-plus voters the picture shifts right. New polling shows Republicans like Warren Petersen and Rep. Andy Biggs with a roughly 10-point lead with this group. That’s a structural advantage, if the party invests in the issues behind it.

First, Social Security: Americans earn it with every paycheck, and for many retired Arizonans it is their only income. With costs rising, protecting it without cutting benefits or raising the retirement age is the bare minimum. The party that lets the other side define this issue will lose voters it never should have lost.

Second, caregiving: Roughly 1 in 5 adults in Arizona is a caregiver.  On average, both the caregiver and the person receiving care are 50 or older. Many juggle their own health, out-of-pocket medical bills and lost hours at work.

Third, prescription costs: President Trump has laid out the blueprint with his strong messaging to lower drug prices through more transparent pricing and less red tape between patients and affordable care. The Arizona GOP should carry that momentum.

Republicans don’t need to reinvent themselves. The solutions older voters want already to align with the party’s core values. What’s needed is the willingness to listen. Older Arizonans show up every time, and they will decide whether Republicans retake the statewide races once theirs to lose.

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