Kari Lake wins Arizona's GOP Senate primary. She'll face Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego
Arizonans have chosen Kari Lake, an election denying ally of former President Donald Trump, as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in a race that could determine control of the chamber this fall, according to a race call by The Associated Press.
With results from early voting reported, Lake led with approximately 54% of the GOP primary vote, well more than the roughly 40% held by her rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and a distant third challenger, Elizabeth Reye. Lake's margin of victory may change as more votes are counted.
At an election night rally in Phoenix after her race was called, Lake told a crowd of supporters that Arizonans had less than three-and-a-half months to save the country alongside Trump.
“He can’t do this alone,” Lake said. “He needs backup in Washington, D.C.”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “He needs Kari Lake!”
“He needs backup in Washington, D.C. and I’m gonna be his backup!” Lake added.
She’ll face Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination to the Senate seat now filled by retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.
Lake has been a MAGA Republican ever since launching her political career with a failed campaign for governor of Arizona in 2022. While running for the Senate, Lake continues to deny her loss to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, and earlier this month filed yet another lawsuit seeking to have the outcome of that gubernatorial race overturned – and have herself instated as governor.
Her persistent election denialism may have helped her receive the support of Trump, who swiftly endorsed Lake when she entered the U.S. Senate race last fall. But it’s considered a weakness by some Arizona Republicans who worry she’ll lose another statewide race this fall to Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran who’s consistently led Lake in polls thus far.
Her shifting position on abortion has also come under fire from Democrats in a state grappling with a ballot measure to enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution this fall.
In April, Lake denounced an Arizona Supreme Court ruling reviving a near-total ban on abortion in the state — a law she previously praised as a gubernatorial candidate, when she said she was “thrilled” Arizona would have the ban on the books in the event the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“From now until November, I welcome all Arizonans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike — to join our team and help defeat Kari Lake and her dangerous plan to ban abortion and hurt Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement Tuesday night.
Gallego has been a fierce ally of the abortion ballot measure in Arizona, and has vowed to abolish the Senate's filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade.
At times during her victory speech on Tuesday, Lake sought to strike a collaborative tone, calling on “Trump Republicans” and “traditional Republicans” alike to join together to support her.
And she also made overtures to conservatives, independents, Libertarians, and even “disaffected Democrats.”
“Who is ready to save this country? This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Lake said.
Arizona has become a key swing state in the presidential contest, meaning even primary races have attracted high-profile endorsements and attention. The state helped President Biden clinch his win in 2020, and Democrats swept key statewide races, including the U.S. Senate seat that Masters lost, in 2022.
But Republicans now hold nearly a 260,000-person advantage among registered voters, and hope to use that to reclaim the state for Trump.
Transcript
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
In Arizona, voters yesterday chose their party's nominees in key congressional races that could determine the balance of power in Washington in 2025. Now that the dust has all settled, NPR's Ben Giles joins us to discuss last night's results and what can we expect as we move toward November.
Ben, so let's start with last night's Senate primary. The election in November will decide who will replace independent U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema. She's retiring. She's not seeking reelection. So who are the candidates on the ballot?
BEN GILES, BYLINE: On the Democratic side, Congressman Ruben Gallego - he announced his campaign even before Sinema announced she was staying out of the race. Gallego then ran unopposed for his party's nomination. He's expected to be a strong contender in November.
But on the Republican side, he'll face off with Kari Lake, who's been considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination ever since she launched her campaign last fall with former President Donald Trump's endorsement. Last night, she solidified that status as the GOP nominee, and she called on Trump Republicans and traditional Republicans alike, as well as conservatives, independents and even disaffected Democrats, to join her cause.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KARI LAKE: Who is ready to save this country?
(CHEERING)
LAKE: This is a all-hands-on-deck moment, OK?
GILES: Now we wait to see how far Trump's endorsement will take her in November.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah. I wanted to ask about that because Arizona is seen as a swing state. So how is this Senate campaign going to figure into the race for the White House, and does Trump's endorsement mean much here?
GILES: Well, two years ago, Trump's endorsement didn't carry a lot of weight in Arizona in several statewide races in the general election. Lake, for instance, was the Trump-endorsed GOP candidate for governor but lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs. But this year, Trump has polled well in Arizona, at least compared to President Biden before he exited the race, and Republicans now hold a nearly 260,000-person advantage among registered voters in Arizona. They're hoping that Republicans down the ballot will get a bump from that and Trump this fall.
But Democrats, too, say they're feeling the impact of the party coalescing around Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee. I caught up with Congressman Gallego at a polling place in the East Valley suburbs of Phoenix yesterday.
RUBEN GALLEGO: People know that we're going to fight for them, and we know that it's a strong campaign. It helps to also have a very exciting campaign on the top of the ticket, too.
GILES: Harris is expected to campaign in Phoenix sometime next week after tapping a vice presidential running mate. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly could be an option Harris is looking at for that role. He's shown an affinity for winning statewide elections in Arizona and could help Harris carry this swing state.
MARTÍNEZ: So what are the key issues that are going to shape these races for Senate and president?
GILES: Well, there's certainly going to be a focus on Sunbelt states like Arizona this fall. Harris was in Georgia last night trying to firm up a diverse coalition of supporters that helped Biden win the state in 2020 and she hopes will do the same for her in November. But we also saw Vance hold competing events in Nevada, and he's traveling to Arizona later today for a rally in the Phoenix suburbs. Vance is expected to attack Harris for the Biden administration's handling of the southern border. The border is one of those issues we'll be hearing from all sorts of Republican candidates about in Arizona. It's something Lake mentioned in her victory speech last night, too. Lake has sought to tie Gallego to the Biden-Harris administration's actions - or, as she claims, lack of action - on the border.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Ben Giles. Ben, thanks.
GILES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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