SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sen. Mark Kelly made two stops in Southern Arizona on Tuesday. He started in Marana, then flew into Sierra Vista for an event with more than 100 people in attendance.
Veterans and their family members made up most of the audience for the event, hosted by the Arizona Dems.
"In Arizona, we've got a huge veteran community,” Kelly said to KGUN 9. "It’s always important to speak to veterans, people that have served our country.”
His message to the crowd was that their voice matters, especially in an election that's expected to be very close.
“Veterans are key in an election, especially a close election," Kelly said. "I mean this election is going to be decided at the top of the ticket by possibly hundreds or thousands of votes.”
He shared his concerns about former President Donald Trump being reelected and serving as commander-in-chief. The event was geared toward getting people to vote and volunteer with the local Democratic party in an effort to convince folks to turn in their ballots or vote in-person on election day.
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"At this point, the difference between winning and losing is turning out your voters," Kelly said. "Making sure people understand there's an election and that they've got to turn in their ballots.”
Congressional candidate, Kirsten Engel also attended Tuesday's event, and spoke to the crowd. She focused on the importance of resources available to veterans and why Veterans Affairs funding shouldn't be cut.
Both Engel and Kelly say speaking to veterans is important because there are over 70,000 veterans in Southern Arizona.
"A lot (of Arizonans) are people who served in our military bravely and have decided to stay," Engel said. "I want them to stay, but I also want them to have a really high quality of life, as well.”
Now, Kelly and Engel hope people make their voices heard on Nov. 5.
"I want to make sure that everybody has a plan to vote,” Kelly said.
With 14 days left until the election, Kelly is traveling to different cities in Arizona, to share the message that every vote matters.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
