Besides, terrorism and the fight to strengthen America are at the forefront for this young, single Republican, who moved to the Phoenix suburbs from Nashville in February and sees Bush as the best man to protect the country.
When Ivey was younger, his father was in the copper mining industry and the family lived in Peru, which was beset by guerrilla groups.
"When we would go to Lima, we'd ride around in bullet-proof cars and have bodyguards," said Ivey. "We're not ever going to prevent [terrorism], but I think you just don't sit there and roll over and take it on the chin."
Ivey is the kind of voter state GOP Chairman Bob Fannin describes when he argues that demographic changes don't hurt his party. New residents come here for a variety of reasons, he said, including "to get away from high taxes and government regulation like you see in California."
With the general election shifting into high gear, both campaigns are turning up their get-out-the-vote efforts, and they are focusing on two increasingly key voting blocs, Latinos and Native Americans.
Each party is counting on the state's vote-by-mail system to improve turnout among Latinos. On Tuesday, the Kerry campaign kicked off a weeklong bus tour to bring Latino voters into the Democratic fold.
"There's a huge Latino vote, and it's emerging in importance," said political scientist Solop. While acknowledging that Latino turnout has traditionally lagged voting as a whole, the population is "increasing rapidly, faster than other groups.... Because the Latino vote is not monolithic, it's an important vote for both sides to appeal to."
The parties also are making stronger-than-usual appeals to Native American voters. The Bush campaign for the first time has translated its literature here into various Native American languages, Fannin said. And representatives from both parties headed to the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock last weekend to woo what they view as a small but crucial slice of the electorate.
The Kerry campaign even sponsored the fair's Friday night rodeo; when bulls and riders came charging out of the chutes, an announcer exhorted spectators to vote Democratic, said Kerry spokeswoman Sue Walitsky.
With Native Americans making up about 5% of the population, Arizona has one of the largest Indian enclaves in the country. Navajos represent the biggest tribe and traditionally vote overwhelmingly Democratic.
The gaming industry has grown significantly on tribal lands, and part of the proceeds go to the state's budget. As a result, said Solop, politicians more and more are seeking audiences with the Arizona Indian Gaming Assn., evidence of the "increasing power of Native Americans in the state."
Times staff writer Mark Z. Barabak contributed to this report.
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Times staff writer Mark Z. Barabak contributed to this report.
