Utah volunteers knock doors for Trump in Arizona ahead of election

PHOENIX — The 67-year-old real estate broker, Niels Fugal, made a spur-of-the-moment decision on Wednesday night to catch a bus to Phoenix with the Utah state GOP the next day. “It’s too important,” he said of the upcoming election.
Earlier this week, the state party sent out texts and emails in hopes of recruiting volunteers for an expansive door-knocking and canvassing effort in Arizona, a purple state currently being courted by both the Trump and Harris campaigns ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5. One such email asked interested volunteers to bring energy and enthusiasm and promised to cover their transportation and lodging costs.
Utah Republican state party chairman Rob Axson told the Deseret News at Turning Point Action headquarters in Phoenix on Friday afternoon that there was “a lot of excitement” among Utahns interested in participating.
Fugal said he moved around his work-related commitments to join the more than 40 other volunteers. He enjoyed going door to door, and his present employment provides him the necessary skills to pitch undecided voters, he told the Deseret News at the Margaritas Mexican Grille in Mesa after a full day of door knocking.
Not knowing what to expect, Fugal said he followed the party’s packing list — making sure to include apolitical shirts and T-shirts. Although he forgot to use sunscreen or carry a battery pack for his phone, Fugal described the experience as a successful trip.
In fact, he said he wishes he could stick around for a few more days and knock on more doors. He may have another chance: Should they raise enough funding, the Utah GOP said it will consider hosting another major canvassing event in Arizona between October 17 and 20.
“Last weekend, we were in Nevada, doing the same thing,” Axson said. Those volunteers knocked on at least 1,500 doors, spoke to about 1,000 voters on the phone and recruited 85 local volunteers, according to Axson.
“We’re going to keep working and promoting Republican turnout and votes as well as we can in our state, but we also kind of know what the outcome is going to be,” the Utah GOP chairman said. Nevada and Arizona are two neighboring states that are critical in the upcoming election, “so we wanted to be a good neighbor and try to be helpful.”
The New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College survey, released Saturday, found former President Donald Trump leading in Arizona by 5 points with 51%, compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 46%.
Axson said their pitch to voters revolves around a return to “strong family values, economic opportunity, safety and world peace,” all concerns voiced by people of faith, “and certainly the Latter-day Saint voters.”
There are around 440,000 Latter-day Saint members in Arizona, about 6% of the state’s population. While they aren’t the largest voting bloc, both Trump and Harris are attempting to court these voters.
Harris, in her remarks at a campaign event in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Friday addressed “the LDS community here,” saying, “We have so much more in common than what separates us, especially on the fundamentals. And so, with that, I say that I am committed to all of you to be a president for all Americans and to work as we must together again.”
On Sunday, Trump will hold a rally in Prescott, Arizona. His campaign will also host a live video event — the “Latter-day Saints for Trump Virtual Fireside.” This Zoom call will feature several Latter-day Saint politicians, including Rep. Burgess Owens, Glenn Beck, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, among others.
Axson said he welcomes Trump’s engagement with Latter-day Saint voters.
“I believe that the Latter-day Saint community, obviously is a large voting bloc in the intermountain west, but they also are a diverse population of perspectives and backgrounds who have wonderful ideas that can serve our country well,” he said. “A Trump presidency that is tied to listening to and getting counsel from and partnership with (Latter-Day Saints) is to the country’s benefit.”
Fugal, a precinct chair in Pleasant Grove, didn’t mind spending nearly 13 hours on the bus to get to Arizona, because it was an opportunity to get to know other politically active Republicans from the Beehive state. He said he knew what he was getting into: “I worked construction before in Arizona in 107-degree weather, but I was 21 or 22 at the time,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m no spring chicken. I’m 67 now.’” But ultimately, it proved to be a rewarding experience, Fugal said.
Tasked with talking to registered Republicans in East Tempe, Fugal spoke to about 12 people on Friday, and 25 on Saturday.
Axson’s group of volunteers included two of his children. “I brought my two eldest sons — a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old — that are with me, and are going to be knocking on doors and talking with folks with their dad,” he said. There are also a few individuals in their 70s canvassing for Republican priorities, he added.
“It’s an eclectic group of people from northern Utah, Southern Utah, the Wasatch Front, really, all parts of Utah have shown up to be a part of this,” he said.
The volunteers in Phoenix this weekend received training on Friday through Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy organization run by Charlie Kirk.
“In Utah, as the party chair, I can put together a list of voters very easily. I don’t know anything about Arizona. I don’t have that data,” Axson said. That is where Turning Point came in, allowing Utah volunteers to take a targeted approach while engaging with voters. His state party also closely collaborated with the Nevada GOP and Arizona GOP.
Martin Terry, 69, retired, said the training was a bit too long, stretching over three hours. “I think they can work on that,” Terry said before admitting the state party did a great job organizing the canvassing effort. Sitting next to him at the Margaritas Mexican Grille, Brian Walker, 66, also retired, said he walked at least 12 miles on Saturday. “Luckily, I got water from somebody,” the South Jordan resident said.
Walker said his pitch to voters was simple; “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”
But Terry said he handled it differently. He didn’t try to convince people who to vote for but rather encouraged them to cast their ballot on time.
As Fugal said, “The main part of the training is you’re not going to convert somebody from what they think. It’s a matter of leaving them with a good feeling about the Republican Party.”
Axson said that despite campaign efforts in neighboring states, Salt Lake County will be a priority in the coming weeks. “We firmly believe you have to have your house in order to go and help others,” he said.
Although Axson flew down from Salt Lake City, he said he would take the bus back on Sunday, along with the other volunteers. He didn’t appear fazed by the nearly day-long bus ride.
“Hey, we’ll have a lot of fun singing songs. Who knows?” he said. “I made sure my kids brought their little laptops so they can do some homework.”