Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego will become first Latino to represent Arizona in the Senate after beating Trump-ally and former TV anchor Kari Lake in one of the most closely watched contests across the country.
With almost 95% of the votes tallied, the Democratic candidate took 50% of the support compared to Lake's almost 48%, with AP projecting him as the winner of the race.
The elected official posted a brief message in Spanish after the race was called:
Gracias, Arizona! pic.twitter.com/fWQ3AetOsy
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) November 12, 2024
Gallego, the son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, was raised in Chicago by a single mother and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.
His margin of victory was significantly smaller than the lead he had throughout the campaign cycle, with many polls showing him beating his opponent by a double-digit margin.
During the campaign, Gallego relentlessly portrayed Lake as a liar who would do and say anything to gain power. He also attacked her for supporting a state law dating back to the Civil War that outlawed abortions under nearly all circumstances.
The two candidates didn't hesitate to showcase their stark differences in ideologies as they sought to take the seat vacated by retiring one-term Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who caucused with Democrats even after registering as an independent in 2022.
Lake became a star on the populist right with her 2022 campaign for Arizona governor. However, she has never acknowledged losing that race, calling herself the "lawful governor" in her 2023 book. She has also unsuccessfully brought the race to court to try to overturn it even after beginning her Senate campaign, a page taken out of the book of one of her biggest allies— former President Donald Trump.
However, as she embarked on her new race, she struggled to unite the right and moderates in her favor, Politico reports. The MAGA personality was one of the party's least promising pickup opportunities, becoming a potential cautionary tale for GOP candidates who consider replicating Trump's ultra-divisive rhetoric and politics.
Lake also rejected trailing Gallego in the polls throughout the campaign.
"My internal polling looks good," Lake said in an interview from her campaign bus. "We're ahead of my opponent, and I feel comfortable with our polling. Our polling is a little different. We take polling, but we also combine it with AI, which reads all of what's happening on social media and across the Internet."
A polling average by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill showed Gallego ahead of Lake by 3.5% based on 105 polls, at 49.3% to her 45.8%. The Cook Political Report had rated the contest as "Lean Democratic."
