Kari Lake wins Republican Arizona US Senate primary, setting up battle with Ruben Gallego
Jul 30, 2024, 8:12 PM | Updated: 9:39 pm
Kari Lake won the Republican primary for Arizona's open US Senate seat on July 30, 2024. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Kari Lake was the projected winner in the Republican Arizona U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with Democrat Ruben Gallego in the general election.
Lake, the former local television anchor, defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. The Associated Press called the race at 8:45 p.m.
Lake was the favorite on the Republican side since entering the race in October 2023.
Arizona,
I stand before you today to officially accept your nomination as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate from the great state of Arizona! pic.twitter.com/XuaRHFJzob
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) July 31, 2024
Lake and Gallego, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, are looking to replace the Senate seat that will be vacated by Kyrsten Sinema, who is not seeking reelection.
Who is Kari Lake?
Lake, who was well known in the Phoenix market from her years on TV before getting into politics, built an enthusiastic following among Republicans with her unflinching support for Donald Trump and her steadfast promotion of false claims of election fraud.
RELATED STORIES
She lost the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election to Democrat Katie Hobbs in her first run for office.
Lake has since become a popular figure in GOP circles and has unsuccessfully fought the results of the 2022 election in court.
She did not debate Lamb in the primary, telling KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show three weeks before the primary, “I don’t think I need to continue to debate somebody in the Republican primary.”
What will Arizona US Senate general election look like?
Lake and Gallego would be set up for a high-profile race that could restore two Democratic seats in the U.S. Senate to a state that has typically housed Republican senators.
Arizona hasn’t elected a Republican U.S. senator in a normal cycle since the late John McCain in 2016.
Gallego’s lead according to the RealClearPolitics poll average was just 3.4 percentage points as of Monday morning.
The general election is Nov. 5.
Comments