Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is anticipated to beat Rep. Kari Lake in a back-to-back race for the Arizona Senate, dealing the previous native information anchor his second straight election defeat, in keeping with Decision headquarters Desk.
Gallego, who served within the House for almost a decade representing a Phoenix-based House seat, will succeed outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). Sinema determined to not search re-election after altering her political affiliation from Democrat to Independent final yr, as Sinema confronted sturdy odds of being re-elected.
Gallego introduced his problem to Sinema even earlier than she made it clear that she wouldn’t search one other time period, placing Senate Democrats within the quickly awkward place of maybe having to decide on which Democrat they might help.
The Arizona Democrat leaned on his bio because the son of a single mother, with household roots in Mexico and Columbia. He additionally touted his time within the Marines.
His victory represents a small however important aid for Democrats, who’ve had a particularly disappointing election cycle this yr. Although they managed to guard their Senate seats within the battleground states of Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan, along with Arizona, in addition they misplaced seats in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, and seem poised to lose in Pennsylvania as properly. They have additionally misplaced management of the White House, whereas their prospects of holding the House seem extraordinarily dim.
Lake is a former native information anchor who beforehand ran for governor of Arizona in 2022, narrowly dropping to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D). Lake rose to prominence throughout her 2022 bid as a distinguished election denier, one thing that got here to hang-out her once more throughout her Senate bid, whilst she continued to battle her 2022 defeat in court docket.
Lake additionally courted controversy over a few of his remarks. She angered some Republicans for making crucial statements invoking the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) — statements that she mentioned have been made in jest.
He had beforehand known as abortion the “final sin” and applauded a now-repealed 1864 regulation that banned almost all abortions within the state. Lake this cycle argued that she wouldn’t vote for a federal abortion ban if elected to the Senate and mentioned abortion restrictions needs to be left as much as the states.
Lake confronted a major challenger in Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, though Lake was extensively seen because the GOP favourite.
At the identical time, Gallego additionally confronted questions throughout his Senate run about his profession and whether or not his place on points like immigration and the border had modified, as some identified in earlier feedback he made on the problem years in the past , together with calling Donald Trump’s border wall “silly” and “silly.”
Gallego was additionally a member of the House Progressive Caucus, however later let his membership lapse, citing dues as the rationale. Republicans have sought to nationalize the race, attempting to tie Gallego to Democrats like Vice President Harris and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in adverts.
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