According to Decision Desk HQ’s projections, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has won the Democratic primary for the Arizona State Senate seat.
Gallego ran unopposed in the Democratic race to replace retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz., Independent) and was in general election mode, setting his sights on Republican candidate Kali Lake.
Lake was seen as a leading Republican candidate, but technically he will face Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the primary. Lake ran for Arizona governor in 2022 and narrowly lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).
Lake, a former local news anchor, has repeatedly denied losing the election, despite multiple lawsuits being dismissed. The radical conservative has tried, without much success, to win over skeptics and moderate Republicans he isolated in the last election.
Meanwhile, Gallego has tried to repudiate his own progressive beliefs, including by stripping himself of his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
A tally of Arizona Senate polls compiled by Decision Desk HQ shows Gallego leading Lake, 47 percent to 43 percent.
The nonpartisan election forecasting site Cook Political Report rates Sinema’s district as “Arizona favorable.”
