Harris Faulkner Heading to Arizona To Shine Light on Nation's Immigration Debate and Midterms
Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner is heading to Arizona this weekend to conduct an immigration town hall and to sit down with the two candidates vying for the Grand Canyon State’s Senate seat currently held by Republican Jeff Flake.
Faulkner told The Western Journal that “Town Hall America” — which airs from Phoenix on the Fox News Channel this Sunday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern time — will be “an emotional and fact-filled, no doubt fiery hour of television.”
Among the stakeholders participating on the event’s immigration panel will be a rancher who has watched hundreds of people illegally cross his property, which sits on the U.S. — Mexico border, as well as the head of the local border patrol officers union, and a former Bernie Sanders campaign staffer, who is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program.
Also on hand will be an audience of approximately 100 Arizona voters, evenly divided by political affiliation, who will be posing questions to the panelists.
Issues Faulkner anticipates covering include MS-13 gang violence, birthright citizenship, family separations, funding for a border wall, and the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly in light of the abolish ICE movement among some on the left.
The “Outnumbered Overtime” anchor has strong ties to Arizona. Her husband of 15 years, Tony Berlin, is from the state, and the couple has a home just about 20 miles north of the U.S. — Mexico border.
They were in fact married in the small town of Rio Rico, just eight miles north of the border, and travel to Arizona often to be with extended family in the Tucson area.
“It’s home turf for me, and I know the (border) issues very well,” said Faulkner. “I’ve lived them so I get it. I also understand why President Trump has made the issue of the U.S. border such a big one.”
“He’s succeeded in making this a national issue like never before,” she added.
In addition to hosting the town hall, Faulkner will also be interviewing Arizona U.S. Senate candidates Republican Rep. Martha McSally and Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.
The most recent polling shows them in a very tight race to replace Flake. McSally took the lead this week, holding a razor thin 47.3 to 47 percent lead in the Real Clear Politics average of polls.
Trump endorsed McSally following her victory in the GOP primary last month, saying she is “strong on crime (and) the border.”
Martha McSally is an extraordinary woman. She was a very talented fighter jet pilot and is now a highly respected member of Congress. She is Strong on Crime, the Border and our under siege 2nd Amendment. Loves our Military and our Vets. Has my total and complete Endorsement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018
The Air Force combat veteran has taken a strong stance in support of Trump’s proposed border wall and other immigration measures, while Sinema has positioned herself to the right of most Democrat lawmakers on some of the immigration issues.
Sinema bucked most in her party in July by voting for a GOP resolution in support of ICE, according to the Arizona Republic.
An OH Predictive Insights poll released this week found 31 percent of the state’s voters listed immigration as the most important issue facing the state, The Hill reported.
With the U.S. Senate in the balance, the Arizona race will be one of the most closely watched in November.
In addition to venturing to Arizona for Sunday’s town hall, Faulkner has been traversing the country promoting her recently released book titled, “9 Rules of Engagement: A Military Brat’s Guide to Life and Success.”
Asked what prompted her to write it, the Fox personality replied, “I think we’re in a time — and I’m a mom (of two daughters) so I’m very sensitive to this — we are in time where people are searching for answers on how to have personal victory early on in their lives.”
“The foundation of winning I have in my life has solely come from being brought up military, and having a combat pilot dad who went on to become a lieutenant colonel, having him kind of set the tone of excellence,” Faulkner added. Her father, Robert Harris, served two tours in Vietnam.
Faulkner says the lessons she learned from him such as surrounding yourself with the right people (which includes removing the wrong ones), dealing with your demons, defining your mission, acting with integrity, and knowing how to respond when everything falls apart have served her well and, based on the feedback she’s received from those who read the book, are helping others too.
She also imbibed patriotism from her father, explaining even when he had to return from military service overseas to a country still in the throes of segregation in the 1960s, he did not lose hope in the United States.
“My dad said he’d always rather fight for a country that has this much potential than any other,” Faulkner recounted. “He believes in America, and I’m a patriot because he’s a patriot.”
“For him to see my success at this point at the intersection of merit and diversity is especially enriching for me. I’m very blessed,” she said.
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