(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for the U.S. Senate seat for Arizona in favor of Ruben Gallego. See all Arizona race results here.
The race between U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Republican Kari Lake, who unsuccessfully ran for Arizona governor two years ago, was one of the closest watched Senate races this election cycle.
The battle to replace outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who decided not to seek reelection, has been a critical race for Democrats to maintain their razor-thin majority in the U.S. Senate. Arizona has also been a battleground state that is critical for Democrats to win in order to stay in the White House.
Gallego, a Marine combat veteran once serving in the Iraqi invasion, received endorsements from dozens of Republicans, including former aides to the late Republican Sen. John McCain, who was also a veteran. He was also endorsed by the Arizona Police Association, a blow to Lake who’d been backed by the group in 2022.
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Lake, a former news anchor, has been a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, vehemently repeating his unfounded claims that he won the 2020 election. Her support was reciprocated with endorsements from the former president in both 2022 and 2024.
“If you want to get to President Trump, you have to get through me,” her Senate campaign website reads.
Lake narrowly lost her 2022 gubernatorial bid to then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs but refused to accept the results, falsely blaming election fraud and voter disenfranchisement.
Gallego’s campaign centered around raising the federal minimum wage, reinstating abortion rights and improving veterans’ rights. The son of a single, immigrant mother, Gallego has voted for funding to hire and deploy thousands more Border Patrol agents and says he supports border security.
Lake’s campaign also focused on increased border security, along with making America energy-dominant, reducing inflation and returning abortion policy decision-making to the states.
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As of late September, Gallego held a 3-1 fundraising advantage and a double-digit polling advantage over Lake.
This was one of eight open Senate races where the incumbent did not run for re-election. A total of 34 Senate seats are up in 2024 with 23 being held by Democrats and independents. Republicans can retake control of the upper chamber of Congress by stealing two seats from Democrats or by winning the 2024 presidential election and stealing just one other seat. As a result, the outcome of this race will affect the balance of power within the Senate in 2025.