Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Republican candidate Kari Lake faced off Wednesday in the only debate in the Arizona Senate race, with both candidates frequently bickering.
Gallego and Lake, who are vying for retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.)'s seat, participated in a debate sponsored by the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission and the Arizona Media Association. While immigration and borders were clearly the focus, the two also offered their views on other important issues, including the economy, inflation, and abortion.
The debate comes at a crucial time for both candidates, with less than a month until Election Day, as Arizona will play a key role in determining who controls the White House and the Senate.
Arizona state polls compiled by Decision Desk Headquarters show a close race at the presidential level with 49 percent for Trump and 48 percent for Harris, but DDHQ's Arizona Senate poll shows , which shows Gallego holding a 50 percent lead over Lake and an even larger lead over Lake. 42 percent.
Here are five takeaways from the Arizona Senate debate.
Discussions quickly become heated.
The debate quickly turned personal, with both candidates attacking each other within the first few minutes.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Gallego mentioned his military career in Iraq, saying, “In war, there are no Democrats or Republicans. Just men and women,'' he said, and attacked Lake shortly afterward. .
“In contrast, we're going to meet and talk to someone who actually failed the basic test of honesty. She lied to Arizonans about the 2022 election. She's still an Arizonan. “I am the rightful governor of the state,” Gallego said, noting that Lake refused to concede defeat when he ran for governor of Arizona in 2022.
Mr. Lake went after Mr. Gallego in his opening statement, accusing him of making “radical changes” politically.
“We're going to watch someone try to reinvent themselves, someone who used to be a member of the Progressive Caucus, someone who destroyed the very Congressional district they've served for the last 10 years where homelessness is on the rise. ,” Lake said, noting that Gallego was a past member of the House Progressive Caucus.
Borders and immigration matter
Immigration was clearly the focus of the evening, with the approximately 20-minute discussion delving into related issues.
Lake attacked Gallego on the topic, citing, for example, his 2017 comments calling President Trump's border wall “stupid” and “stupid.” He also sought to connect Gallego with President Biden and Vice President Harris on the issue, working closely with President Trump.
“We need someone who understands the threat at the border. I do, and so does President Trump. From day one, we've seen the damage caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Ruben Gallego, who voted for them. We're going to be busy getting back to normal.'' 100 percent,'' Lake said.
Mr. Gallego, meanwhile, sought to position himself as a problem-solver, saying he had defended Congress's efforts to address the issue while criticizing Lake for opposing the bipartisan border bill.
He also specifically pressed Lake several times on whether he supported deporting “Dreamers” who entered the United States illegally as children and have since lived in the United States.
“Are you going to deport Dreamers? Tell me honestly. Yes or no,” Gallego asked Lake, to which Lake responded, “No.”
“President Trump wanted a deal on Dreamers. You said no,” she said. “Unfortunately, like my opponent, radical Democrats would rather use people as political pawns. They want to protect our borders.”
Lake unites Gallego, Biden and Harris
Lake tried to link Gallego to Biden and Harris, saying he voted 100% for the current administration. Harris and Trump have almost even support in the state.
“He voted with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Arizona, you should know this,” Lake said.
“He's voting for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden 100 percent of the time. He wants to act like it's bipartisan. He was the leader of the Progressive Caucus.”
Mr. Gallego, who has touted himself as a progressive and is a member of the House Progressive Caucus, has been under pressure for a more moderate political stance in the Senate race.
Arizona Democratic Partyexplained to NBC News in April.He said he was revoking his membership in the caucus because “actually dues have gone up significantly and it's coming out of my staff's pay, so you know, we have to make a decision. He said this was to prevent the situation from becoming an issue, but also acknowledged the state's political topography.
Gallego, however, rarely mentioned Harris during his remarks and occasionally brought up Trump. Instead, Mr. Gallego relied on his experience in Congress in making his case to voters.
“We passed legislation that requires the government to negotiate prescription drug prices. We set a cap on insulin at $35. Next year, seniors will have a total prescription cap of $2,000.” replied Gallego at one point about how to make life more affordable.
Gallego targets Lake over election and abortion stance
Mr. Gallego used the debate to criticize Mr. Lake's comments about past election results and his stance on abortion. Mr. Lake gained national attention by contesting the 2020 election results when he ran for governor in Arizona in 2022, but Mr. Lake did not concede defeat in 2022.
At one point, Gallego said Lake was “in denial” about climate change, then added that he was also in denial about the 2022 election.
“Now, I'll take a minute. Are you finally going to tell the people of Arizona whether they won or lost that election?” Gallego asked Lake.
“Can we talk about water right away?” she asked, part of a discussion centered on energy and water supplies.
Arizona lawmakers also attacked Lake for praising an 1864 law that previously would have jailed doctors who perform abortions, but that law has since been repealed.
“Do we want politicians like Kari Lake to be involved in making very difficult decisions that should be left to women, doctors and families?” Gallego said.
Lake said he does not support federal laws that restrict access to abortion, arguing that abortion access should be left up to each state. She suggested that women may have abortions because they cannot afford the cost of having a child.
“I don't want any woman to make that choice. She has to live because of the votes that people like Ruben Gallego made that essentially destroyed our economy. Because I can’t afford it,” she said. “We're on life support right now. So I want to go to the United States Senate and pass the most pro-family bill.”
Last opportunity for candidates to express their opinions
The debate was a rare opportunity for Arizona voters to see both candidates take to the stage to offer contrasting visions for their campaigns.
The dispute between Gallego and Lake marks the first break since 2022, when Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs denied Lake the opportunity to debate Arizona's gubernatorial race, which Hobbs narrowly won.
The debate coincided with the start of early voting in Arizona, where ballots began being mailed out on Wednesday.
All told, with less than 30 days until Election Day, Wednesday night's event was likely Lake and Gallego's last chance to pitch to voters.
