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Arizona Democrats work to keep focus on Hillary Clinton

Posted at 5:10 PM, Oct 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-04 23:25:15-04

With the spotlight on Donald Trump as he visited Arizona for the sixth time on Tuesday, volunteers and staff worked hard to keep the focus on their candidate, Hillary Clinton. 

The phone bank was busy, as dozens of volunteers streamed in and out of the office all day, working the phone lines to reach out to undecided voters, reminding people to vote, and recruiting volunteers to help in their effort.

On Tuesday, a group of Democratic female lawmakers held a press conference to discuss Trump's derogatory comments towards women. In the past, Trump has been known to use terms like "fat," "Miss Piggy" and bimbo" to describe women.

"I take things personally the things that Donald Trump is saying about women," U.S. Candidate for Senate Ann Kirkpatrick said.

"I was actually told you can't be a congresswoman. Nobody's going to elect a woman in your state, and I did it," she said.

State Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs, a mother of two children, also expressed her concerns.

"Donald Trump's rhetoric about women is frankly disgusting to me," Hobbs said.

She added that he has had several opportunities to back down from his statements but refuses to apologize.

"We should not be sending a man who thinks this way about women to the White House," Hobbs said.

State Representative Rebecca Rios said Trump doesn't have "the values that we seek in a president."

"I'm here as a mother of a young daughter and someone who refuses to allow the women and girls in Arizona to be represented by someone who sees women as mere sex objects — who's value can be measured in a swimsuit, or on a stage in a beauty contest," Rios added.

Barbara Lubin, the Arizona Democratic Party political director, listened to Trump's speech in Prescott Valley and said she wasn't surprised — or impressed.

"It's just more of the same," Lubin said. "There's really no substance to it Really, just throws out statements that people like to hear."

She said Trump's sixth visit to Arizona solidified the idea that he was nervous about possibly losing Arizona in the election.

Democratic female lawmakers also brought up concerns about Trump's policies on pay equity between men and women. 

State Representative Rios said "Worse than his words are the policies that Donald Trump would bring to the White House. He does not support pay equity. He's being sued for gender discrimination. He pays male staffers 35 percent more than he pays the women."

According to Rios, Trump views pregnancy as an inconvenience for women's career. He has also alluded that women who've felt that they've been sexually harassed in the workforce should find another career and that abortions should be punishable.

"All of the progress women have made in the last 50 years would be turned back if Donald Trump were elected President," Rios said.