New Arizona Democrat weighs in on her win and Harris’s loss, immigration

Arizona Rep.-elect Yassamin Ansari (D) shared why she thinks she won in her swing state but Vice President Harris didn’t, while also weighing in on immigration as President-elect Trump prepares his deportation crackdown.

Ansari joined NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday,” where she said she and her new Democratic members of the House have discussed their wins but also the party’s huge losses in the recent election.

“I think one thing we all have agreed on is that there’s a lot of oversimplification as well when it comes to messaging,” Ansari said.

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As Democrats try to figure out what went wrong in the election, many have pointed to their inability to reach voters on the issues that actually matter to them.

“We haven’t done a good enough job reminding them … on the issues that actually matter to people. Why can I not afford a place to call home? Why can I not afford groceries? We need to focus on those issues and clearly articulate what it is that we are doing because we do have the policies, Democrats do have the policies that are actually helping people and trying to make their life easier,” Ansari said.

When she campaigned across Arizona, she wasn’t just focused on one issue; her issue was specific to each neighborhood and community she was in.

As Trump prepares to take office and implement his immigration plan, states like Arizona, which shares a border with Mexico and has a large immigrant population, are bracing.

“What I think needs to be decoupled is the issue of border security and harm of immigrant communities,” she said. “Democrats in Arizona across the board agree that we need to secure the border.”

“What I will stand against is insane, racist, harmful policies like mass deportation that will affect districts like mine in Phoenix, Ariz.,” Ansari continued.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.