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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is 2020 the first time Arizona has voted for a Democratic president since the 1950s?

By Esther Tsvayg
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NO

Before Joe Biden's win in 2020, Arizonans had last chosen the Democratic presidential candidate in 1996, when Bill Clinton won reelection. Clinton's win was the first Democratic victory there since Harry Truman's in 1948.

Unlike the 1996 vote, the 2020 results may signal a more durable shift in the state's partisan alignment. The state also elected a second Democratic senator, Mark Kelly, after choosing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2018.

Factors eroding Republican dominance include a fast-growing young Latino population that now accounts for nearly a quarter of Arizona voters, along with an influx of Democratic-leaning newcomers fleeing neighboring California's high cost of living. Cindy McCain, the widow of 2008 Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, endorsed Biden.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
270towin: Historical presidential elections
Ballotpedia: 2020 Arizona election results
AP: Arizona overview
Pew Research: Where Latinos have the most eligible voters in the 2020 election
AP: Cindy McCain endorses Biden for president in rebuke of Trump
Washington Post: The real reason Arizona will turn blue this year
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.