Political expert: Arizona should be the new presidential primary leader

PHOENIX — As Arizona continues to become one of the most diverse states in the nation, some political experts believe it should also become a presidential primary leader.

Currently, one-third of the state’s population is Latino — a sought-after demographic by Republicans and Democrats. While Arizona shares a border with Mexico, illegal immigration has become one of the most heated political topics in the U.S.

Congress continues to debate gun-control legislation, all while the Grand Canyon State remains one of the most gun-friendly.

Not to mention, Arizona’s independent voter population is rapidly increasing. In fact, Independents are now the largest voting bloc in Arizona. According to figures released by Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, they make up 34.88 percent of the state’s electorate.

So with all that in mind, some Arizonans have begun to wonder why Iowa and New Hampshire lead the nation in presidential primary elections.

“New Hampshire and Iowa, they don’t really reflect a lot of what our county is looking like nowadays,” Jaime Molera, co-Founder and partner of Molera-Alvarez Government and Public Affairs Firm, said about the two states that get the most attention early in a presidential race.

According to Molera, presidential candidates should invest more campaign resources into Arizona. But, he said he does not expect that to happen anytime soon.

“Candidates tend to front-load everything into Iowa and New Hampshire,” Molera said. “A lot of candidates have to because they don’t have the financial wherewithal to be a long-term candidate.”

However, that does not mean Arizona won’t become the primary leader in the future.

“I think in the future for sure,” he said. “Particularly because we are getting more Electoral College votes, and the more votes, the more important our state becomes.”

Arizona had 11 electoral votes in the 2012 election, and the state has gained at least one electoral vote in six consecutive Censuses, according to the site 270ToWin.com.

As the state’s population and economy grows, Molera said the nation will begin looking to Arizona as the presidential primary leader.

“Because of those voting patterns and the growth of the Latino (population), Arizona is a very important state,” he said, “and it will be for a long time to come.”

Speaking of Iowa and early campaigning, Hillary Clinton was recently in the state to speak at the Tom Harkin Steak Fry. Some political experts saw it as a sign that she is getting serious about a 2016 presidential run, although she didn’t explicitly announce her candidacy. Photos of that event can be seen below.

The KTAR Newsroom contributed to this report.