JD Vance and Charlie Kirk lead ‘Chase the Vote’ event at Mesa Church in Arizona, over 500 volunteers sign up

MESA, Arizona- At a Turning Point USA event in Mesa, Arizona, on Wednesday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and founder Charlie Kirk took the stage to motivate conservative voters ahead of the 2024 elections. In an informal chat format, both speakers touched on critical issues like immigration, crime and the economy, directly tying them to Vice President Kamala Harris’ policies.

Vance criticized Harris’s approach to immigration, highlighting former President Donald Trump’s halt to construction of the border wall on her first day in office. He argued that the decision opened the door for cartels and drug dealers to exploit weak border enforcement. “Kamala has Trump’s border wall in her ad, but she stopped construction on Day 1,” Vance said. He detailed the disastrous human toll of her policies, claiming, “320,000 children are missing. This is the wages of Kamala Harris’ border policy.”

Vance stressed the need to “strengthen border control,” restore the “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers, and ensure the deportation of illegal immigrants. He urged the audience to recognize that current policies lead to family separations and human trafficking instead of compassion, stating, “Kamala’s border policy is not compassionate — don’t ever let them tell you that.”

Kirk focused on the economic implications of the current administration’s policies, linking housing inflation in the Sunbelt to the influx of illegal immigrants. “The inflation in the Sunbelt is the highest in the country,” Kirk said, attributing it to increased competition for housing from illegal immigration. Kirk and Vance both argued that the administration is putting the benefits of illegal immigrants ahead of the needs of American citizens. “Kamala wants to give them houses, Medicare, Social Security. She wants to give the American Dream to people who shouldn’t be here,” Vance asserted.

Vance linked Harris’ policies to inflation and economic challenges. “Thirty years ago, our parents could afford to buy a house. Kids would be educated, not indoctrinated,” he said. Both speakers praised Trump’s economic legacy, with Kirk saying, “Whatever you think of Trump, there was a labor boom and life was better under Trump.”

Kirk and Vance also addressed crime, criticizing Harris for her role as district attorney of San Francisco, a city they alleged had been taken over by drug dealers and cartels. Kirk brought up the fact that Harris rescued rioters from the 2020 unrest in Minnesota, many of whom had attacked police officers. “She likes to say she’s tough on crime, but she’s turned San Francisco into the high-crime city that it is today,” Vance said.

Both speakers said the administration’s immigration policies have exacerbated the drug crisis, with Vance noting that fentanyl trafficking has increased significantly because of the open border. “We’ve seen the toll of the border invasion,” Vance said, linking the increase in fentanyl deaths to Harris’ policies.

During the rally, both Vance and Kirk encouraged voters to get out and vote, with Vance emphasizing the importance of not only voting yourself, but also bringing others with you. “Vote 10 times — bring yourself and bring nine friends to the polls,” he joked.

Turning Point Action launched an initiative called “Commit 100” as part of their broader “Chase the Vote” campaign to mobilize conservative voters in key swing states like Arizona. This initiative encourages volunteers to collect 100 early ballots and 100 Election Day ballots, with a focus on ensuring that voters with low propensity to vote turn out.

One aspect of the program is that Turning Point Action provides accommodations for volunteers who are willing to travel to participate in person. The group also offers remote voting opportunities.

On social media, a member of Turning Point Action announced that more than 500 people had signed up to help with the vote following the rally in Vance.

Today @TPAction_ town hall with @charliekirk11 And @JDVance was an incredible event!

500 new coalition members signed up to help us WIN in 61 days! photo.twitter.com/2nZxgsXLHU

— Alyssa Goncales (@AlyssaGoncales) September 5, 2024

The last day to register to vote is October 7. The general election is on November 5.

– – –

Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times And The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / XSend tips by email to (email protected).