Democrat Ruben Gallego Wins Arizona Senate Seat, Beating Kari Lake

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is projected to beat Republican rabble-rouser Kari Lake in the race to become Arizona’s next U.S. senator after Lake seemed to struggle to win over moderate and independent voters.

Gallego, a congressman since 2015, succeeds Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat who became an independent and then opted not to run for reelection.

Lake’s loss marks the second time the former newscaster failed to clinch a statewide office in Arizona after she fell short in the 2022 governor’s race. She technically never conceded to Democrat Katie Hobbs two years ago and, following Trump’s playbook, tried unsuccessfully to challenge her loss in court.

“She will do anything and say anything to gain power, including lying,” Gallego said during their debate last month.

Both Gallego and Lake tried to modulate to the middle to win over Arizona’s sizable contingent of unaffiliated voters. Gallego, a military veteran who left the House Progressive Caucus as he ramped up his campaign, leaned into border security — a tough issue for Democrats. At their only scheduled debate, Lake blamed him for the dysfunction at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused him of conducting an “extreme makeover” of his progressive record.

Gallego also angered progressives when he wrote to the Department of Justice opposing the proposed federal takeover of the Phoenix Police Department following the Arizona Police Association’s endorsement of his campaign in August.

Lake kicked off her campaign with a MAGA overhaul, vowing to welcome voters of all stripes into her coalition and forgoing divisive talk. It was short-lived. Lake blasted the “fake news” at the Republican convention over the summer and falsely claimed that Gallego “voted to let millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.”

Polls of Arizona’s presidential and Senate races had shown Lake running behind Trump in the state — which also meant that Gallego was running ahead of Harris. It’s not immediately clear why so many voters decided to split tickets in this race, but the state and its politicians are known for their independent streak.

Democracy In The Balance

Don’t let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America’s future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down.

Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can’t do it without you.

You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

You’ve supported HuffPost before, and we’ll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can’t do it without you.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

The late Sen. John McCain (a Trump critic whom both Lake and Trump have derided) cast the tie-breaking vote in 2017 protecting the Affordable Care Act.

Arizona is the site of one of the nation’s most expensive U.S. Senate contests, with both candidates and their allies spending a combined $92 million.

See full results from the Arizona Senate election here.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Secular Times is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – seculartimes.com. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a Comment