President Donald Trump is turning his Phoenix rally into his first TV pitch to Arizona voters with a 90-second spot set to air on Tuesday.

The commercial, dubbed “Patriots,” prominently features Ervin Julian, the 100-year-old World War II Navy veteran who was carried to his seat inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum by two Trump supporters ahead of the Feb. 19 rally.

Nine months before the 2020 election, the Trump broadcast TV ad buy in the Phoenix media market, which his campaign describes only as six figures, illustrates the importance Arizona holds as a presidential battleground state.

The Arizona-specific ad features video of two men who hoisted Julian down the coliseum’s bleachers as supporters chanted “USA! USA!”

The moment drew tears from onlookers and a shout-out from the president, who early in his rally called Julian “an American patriot” and “great hero.”

The spot also features key constituencies within the president’s coalition of supporters, including Latinos, African Americans, and veterans, who packed the venue to capacity to see the president.

The ad also touts economic successes, low unemployment and lower poverty rates among Latinos and African Americans under Trump’s administration.

Arizona, once deep red and represented by two Republican U.S. senators, is now widely considered purple heading into this year's elections. The change is due in part to the influx of new out-of-state residents and a burgeoning Latino population.

Arizona was key to Trump’s victory in 2016 and Republicans view it as key to his success in 2020.

Trump carried Arizona by 3.5 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago; his signature campaign vow was to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

This cycle, Trump is running largely on the economy. It’s a message the campaign hopes will help hold the state.

Republicans are hoping to draw in new supporters, people alienated by the Democratic Party and its presidential front-runner Bernie Sanders, who identifies as a democratic socialist, and a sizable number of new voters who cut across the political spectrum.

“With 238,600 new jobs since the President was elected, record low unemployment rate, and a median household income increase by over $3,000, Arizonans know they are better off today than four years ago,” Ali Pardo, the Trump campaign's deputy communications director of press, said in a written statement.

“The contrast between President Trump’s record of success and the Democrats' socialist agenda could not be clearer and it is why the Grand Canyon State will deliver again for our President this November," she said.

Have news to share about Arizona's U.S. senators or national politics? Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Subscribe for free to The Gaggle political podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you listen to audio content.