Mesa’s GOP mayor tries to woo Republican voters in DNC speech

The second day of the Democratic National Convention began with former President Barack Obama as the evening’s headliner – but not all of the speakers were Democrats; several prominent Republicans also took the stage, including Mesa Mayor John Giles.

“It was an email from someone on the campaign team that made the invitation,” Giles, a registered Republican, told ABC15 when asked how we were approached to attend the DNC. “First they invited me to come to the convention and I politely declined and said I’m not a Democrat, right? I don’t really know why I would do that. Then they invited me to speak and at that point I realized this is an opportunity to deliver this message that I think is important, to speak to people like me, people in the political center who need to be told that John McCain’s Republican Party no longer exists.”

In his message, Giles specifically wanted to appeal to conservative voters who are still unsure whether to support former President Donald Trump.

“I don’t know many Republicans in Arizona who think Donald Trump is important. They admire him personally, but they just think he might protect their financial interests better than the vice president,” Giles said. “This is where people like me need to help spread the Harris campaign’s message: He is someone who will govern from the center, someone who is very aware of the economic challenges we face.”

Critics, however, consider Harris to be one of the more liberal candidates whose political positions do not suggest that she would govern from the center.

“Kamala Harris’ platform is very, very unpopular. The fact that she supports open borders, that she supports inflationary policies, that she has been weak as a leader on the international stage and that over the course of her four years, America has become weaker than before. That is deeply unpopular,” Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, told ABC15.

Whatley said he was “disappointed” to see a Republican speak at the Democratic convention at all, but added that the Republican Party is “the more united party that we have benefited from for generations.”

The latest polls show Harris’ campaign gaining momentum in swing states across the country, including Arizona. Asked if Trump’s campaign needs a change of strategy in the final months of the election, Whatley said the focus is on “talking to every American voter about issues that matter to them.”

“It’s about issues like securing our southern border, making sure we restore our economy. And making sure we are strong enough to defend ourselves at home and abroad,” Whatley said.

Harris will conclude the DNC appearance on Thursday evening, while Trump will visit the southern border in Arizona the same day.

Giles was one of several Republicans who spoke at the DNC, including former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger, former White House press secretary and adviser to First Lady Melania Trump Stephanie Grisham, and former White House national security official under Trump Olivia Troye.