GOP Mesa Mayor John Giles invited to Democratic convention, Arizona rally
Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles has been invited to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22 in Chicago, he told The Arizona Republic.
That invitation did not immediately include plans to speak at the keynote event, Giles said, noting, "I can't tell you for sure if I'm going but I did appreciate the invitation."
His remarks came in a one-on-one discussion about his growing role with the Republicans for Harris campaign committee after he publicly backed Vice President Kamala Harris for president and denounced former President Donald Trump last week.
It started on July 29 when Giles penned a guest column in The Republic and continued to make his case nationally in a series of broadcast interviews.
Giles said he is attending Harris' campaign rally on Friday, but it wasn't clear if he would actively participate in the event or attend as a co-chair of the Republicans for Harris committee.
He said he will focus his campaigning on in-state voters as he tries to convince Republicans to break with tradition.
Giles' endorsement came swiftly after Harris became the presumed Democratic presidential nominee. He said there's a sense of urgency in Harris' campaign after President Joe Biden stepped down. Delaying an endorsement would not have been the right move, Giles said.
The people who support Harris need to step up and rally around her, he said.
Giles remains a proud Republican, even if his party denounces him and brushes off his support for Democratic candidates.
"Honestly that is where my political orientation ... continues to feel like it has a home," he said.
Within the more "progressive halls" of the Democratic party, abortion and border issues are two key policies he pointed out that don't align with his views.
However, he feels as though Trump and higher-up leadership have "hijacked" his party and that it's Mesa's best interest that he does not return to the White House.
More than a dozen former and current lawmakers and elected city officials attended a press briefing Monday in Mesa to formally launch the committee. They continue to plead with Arizona Republican and independent voters to vote against Trump.
Giles was joined by co-chair and former GOP state Rep. Robin Shaw, former Scottsdale Mayor Sam Campana, and Mesa Councilmember Julie Spilsbury, among other committee members.
They echoed Giles' sentiment over the past week, that it was time for Republicans to speak up and show up for country over party.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: GOP Mesa Mayor John Giles invited to Democratic convention
