Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) defeated Republican Kari Lake in the race for the Arizona Senate, marking the second consecutive year the former local news anchor was elected, according to Decision Desk headquarters. It is expected that they will be defeated.
Gallego, who has served in the House for nearly a decade representing the Phoenix-based House seat, will replace retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. After changing his party affiliation from the Democratic Party to an independent last year, Sinema decided not to run for re-election because his chances of being re-elected were very high.
Mr. Gallego had announced a challenge to Mr. Sinema even before he announced he would not seek another term, leaving Senate Democrats in a temporarily awkward position where they will likely have to choose which Democrat to support. It is placed in
The Arizona Democrat reflected on his biography as the son of a single mother with family roots in Mexico and Colombia. He also touted his time in the Marines.
His victory was a small but significant relief for Democrats, who have had an overwhelmingly disappointing election cycle this year. In addition to Arizona, he managed to hold on to his Senate seats in the battleground states of Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan, but he also lost seats in Ohio, Montana, and West Virginia, and looks set to lose Pennsylvania. They have also lost control of the White House and their prospects for retaining the House of Representatives appear very bleak.
Lake, a former local newscaster, ran for governor of Arizona in 2022, but lost by a narrow margin to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Lake, who gained notoriety as a prominent election denier while running for the 2022 election, called her out again during her run for the Senate, even as she continued to fight her 2022 loss in court. It caused me trouble.
Some of Lake's statements also caused controversy. She angered some Republicans by making critical comments that cited the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), but she claimed the comments were made in jest. .
She previously called abortion the “ultimate sin” and supported a now-defunct 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions in the state. Lake insisted this term that if elected to the Senate, he would not vote for a federal ban on abortion, saying abortion restrictions should be left to individual states.
Mr. Lake faced Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb as his primary challenger, and Mr. Lake was considered the Republican favorite.
At the same time, Mr. Gallego faced questions about his record in the Senate and whether his stance on issues such as immigration and the border had changed. Some pointed to past statements he made on the issue several years ago, including when Donald Trump referred to the border as a “border.” The wall is “stupid” and “idiot”.
Mr. Gallego was also a member of the House Progressive Caucus, but later had his membership revoked due to dues. Seeking to nationalize the campaign, Republicans used ads to link Gallego to Democrats such as Vice President Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
