Why Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles asked Arizona GOP voters to support Kamala Harris

Mesa Mayor John Giles publicly backed Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee and urged Arizona Republicans to vote for her, saying former President Donald Trump "poses a threat" to the nation.

Twenty-one current and former mayors across Arizona endorsed Harris, including Giles, who is a registered Republican. He was the most prominent Republican mayor to do so.

Other prominent mayors to endorse Harris included Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods, all Democrats.

City politicians in Arizona don’t run as Democrats or Republicans, but their political party affiliations add weight to their public endorsements.

In an op-ed published in The Arizona Republic, Giles wrote it was time to “return to the core foundations of the Grand Old Party,” and choose a leader who will put country over party.

This is not the first time Giles has endorsed a Democrat. In 2022, he backed U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly's bid for a second term. Giles later was censured by GOP precinct committees in Mesa-area state legislative districts. Giles also supported Gov. Katie Hobbs in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Giles, who was first elected mayor in 2014 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020, is term-limited and will leave office in January. Five candidates are running in Tuesday's primary to replace him.

Giles has refused to leave the Republican party. In interviews with The Arizona Republic, he said he remains steadfast there is still room in the party for a more moderate centrist Republican.

Giles echoed Sen. John McCain’s “Country First” motto as he called on other Arizona Republicans to join him in defeating Trump.

It will take Republicans, Democrats and independent voters to stand "together against a far-right agenda" and beat Trump, Giles wrote.

“That’s why I’m standing with her. Kamala Harris is the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves. This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket,” he wrote.

He touted the achievements of Mesa, Arizona's third-largest city and the 36th-largest city in the nation, under the Biden-Harris administration, citing job and economic growth.

Opinions: Why, as a Republican mayor, I support Kamala Harris over Trump

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles backs Kamala Harris. Here's why