Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., emerged victorious in the race for Arizona's open Senate seat, defeating Republican Kari Lake, a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump, as confirmed by sources on Monday night.
Gallego has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2015, representing Arizona's 7th and 3rd congressional districts.
Lake, who previously ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor in 2022 and lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., has a background as a news anchor for a local Arizona television station and has worked in the media industry for 27 years.
Following her defeat in 2022, Lake contested the results, expressing concerns about fraud in the state. She continues to assert that there were significant irregularities in both the 2020 and 2022 elections, aligning with claims made by Trump and his supporters. This has prompted the Republican National Committee to allocate substantial resources to election integrity efforts.
Lake competed against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican Senate primary, while Gallego had a clear path in the Democratic primary without any opposition.
Political analysts had rated the Arizona Senate race as 'Leans Democrat' in September, with various reports and experts also categorizing it as favoring the Democratic candidate.
The current Senate seat is held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who was initially elected as a Democrat but later registered as an independent. Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., has notably broken ranks with Democrats on the legislative filibuster issue.
Both Sinema and Manchin opted not to seek re-election, with Sinema's potential run as a third-party candidate causing uncertainty among strategists about the impact on the Senate race.
In pre-election polls, Gallego consistently maintained a lead over Lake by single-digit margins. Despite Lake emphasizing her ties to Trump, Gallego did not heavily promote his connection with Vice President Kamala Harris during the campaign.
