Harris’ border visit wasn’t just about Arizona.

• Kamala Harris visited the border for the first time in September as a 2024 presidential candidate.
• Harris has framed her messaging on immigration to counter Trump’s longstanding border line.
• But her speech in Arizona wasn’t just about winning voters in the Southwest.

Immigration is one of the defining issues of the 2024 election.

So it was no surprise that Vice President Kamala Harris visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday, one of the country’s most contentious swing states this year.

Harris’ visit to Douglas — a border town of about 16,000 residents — was notable because it was her first visit to the southern border since launching her Democratic presidential campaign in late July.

Both Harris and former President Donald Trump are fighting to win Arizona by rallying the state’s suburban independents and large Latino population.

Harris is attacking Trump’s role in pushing a bipartisan immigration bill in Congress that would have overhauled the asylum system and hired more Border Patrol agents. And Trump wants to link Harris to the record levels of migrant apprehensions that have severely overwhelmed Border Patrol agents at several points during President Joe Biden’s term.

But Harris’ comments in Douglas weren’t just about winning Arizona.

She wants to reassure swing voters and independents across the country that she is the candidate who will deliver on this issue.

“Stopping transnational criminal organizations and strengthening our borders is not new to me, and it has long been a priority of mine,” she said during her speech in Cochise County, a conservative-leaning jurisdiction where Trump is expected to perform well in November .

But even in battleground states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — far from the southern border — voters see immigration as a top issue. And in rural and suburban areas where Democratic candidates must shrink Republican Party margins to win statewide, Harris’ message will be crucial as she competes with Trump to clear the 270-vote electoral threshold for victory to reach.

Border security will be critical, but especially among independents

In the latest New York Times/Siena College poll of likely voters in Michigan, immigration was the third most important issue for respondents, with 14% citing it as their most important issue. (The economy was the top issue among likely voters overall, with 24% citing it as their most important issue, followed by abortion at 17%.)

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Among rural and small-town voters, immigration (at 16%) was the second most important issue, trailing only the economy.

And among independents, immigration and abortion (13% each) were the second most important issue. The economy was cited as their top issue by 25% of likely independents in Michigan.

The findings are similar in Wisconsin, where the economy is the top issue (28%) among likely voters, followed by abortion (19%) and immigration (12%).

While Harris is poised to perform strongly in the Milwaukee and Detroit metropolitan areas, rural margins in Wisconsin and Michigan will be critical. In these Midwestern states—unlike the South—there remains a significant contingent of rural voters who continue to vote Democratic at the presidential level.

Harris’ comments on border security were aimed primarily at these types of voters, as many would prefer a bipartisan approach to an immigration overhaul while still enforcing existing laws. And by drawing on her experience as California’s attorney general and her approach to prosecuting drug cartels, she is seeking to turn the page on Biden’s handling of the issue, which has been widely panned by voters in recent years.

“I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose between securing our border or creating an immigration system that is safe, orderly and humane,” Harris said during her speech on Friday. “We can and must do both.”

Trump is not giving up any ground on this point

Trump’s 2016 candidacy was motivated by his tough stance on immigration, and his 2024 campaign largely stuck to the same message.

The biggest exception is that Trump used Biden’s immigration problems to build a significant advantage over the president in this area. But that was before Biden stepped aside as the presumptive nominee and Harris became the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party.

Harris pressed Trump on the issue in a way that Biden could not do effectively, as the president at the time was also dealing with major concerns at the border and migrants being sent by Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott to cities like Chicago and Washington . New York.

Harris accused Trump on Friday of “playing politics” with border security and emphasized her commitment to tackling fentanyl smuggling and human trafficking if she wins the White House.

Trump has maintained a significant lead in the polls on this issue, but that lead has narrowed.

A recently released NBC News poll found Trump with a 21-point (54% to 33%) lead over Harris among registered voters on border security. It was the former president’s biggest advantage on all major issues polled, including the economy.

However, Trump’s lead on immigration issues is smaller than the 35-point lead he previously held over Biden in an NBC News poll conducted in late January.

Trump has been highly critical of Harris’ attempts to quash his positions on border security. Ahead of the vice president’s trip to Arizona, he tried to re-tie her to Biden.

“She should go back to the White House and tell the president to close the border,” the former president said.

With just over a month before the general election, Trump’s lead appears to be shrinking, which could be a huge boost for Harris in Georgia and North Carolina – where the vice president’s victories would most likely send her to the Oval Office .