Mesa mayor who supports Kamala Harris says she’s better for the economy than Donald Trump

PHOENIX — One of Kamala Harris’ top Republican supporters in Arizona said there are two reasons why he has decided to vote for her.

Mesa Mayor John Giles, who spoke in support of Harris during the Democratic National Convention last week, said she’s the superior presidential candidate when it comes to both personality and policy.

“I can’t get over the fact that Trump is an issue,” Giles told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Tuesday. “You can’t look the other way and say that this guy has any moral authority to lead our country and that we ought to take that ride again.”

Trump fans the flames of polarization due to his criminal convictions, connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection and other controversies, he added.

“Political extremism is, I think, our country’s biggest challenge,” Giles said.

One of Kamala Harris’ top Republican supporters in Arizona speaks up

The longtime mayor, whose tenure has spanned three presidencies, also said he has a unique perspective on the ways Trump and Joe Biden have led the country as president.

“Under the Harris-Biden Administration, we had some historic legislation, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the CHIPS Act, which Arizona is benefiting from in amazing ways,” Giles said. “I can tell you, as the mayor of Mesa, I’m going to ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings every week. Our economy is booming.”

He attributed the thriving economy to successful bipartisan legislation that has come to fruition under the Biden-Harris administration.

“We’re getting a good dose of help from this recent legislation,” Giles added.

He used the recent growth of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as an example of the way his city benefits from Biden’s economic policies.

“We’ve got a brand new control tower out there. We’ve got a brand new terminal out there. Those have specifically been as a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act,” he said. “Every week, there are new companies that are opening shop and they’re tied to the supply chain of the semiconductor phenomenon, which, again, is a result of the CHIPS Act.”