PHOENIX — Republican Kari Lake and Democrat Ruben Gallego's race ended Monday night as Gallego was projected to be the winner by the Associated Press.
The five-term congressman from South Phoenix and Marine combat veteran of Iraq will be the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate in Arizona's 112-year history.
This marks the fourth time in six years that a Republican has lost a U.S. Senate race in Arizona. Before the losing streak started in 2018, Republican candidates had won every Senate race since 1994.
Lake posted a video on "X," formerly known as Twitter, after the results were announced. She thanked Arizonans but did not specifically concede the race.
"This journey we've taken over the past few years has been once in a lifetime," Lake said in her video. "It hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Lake did not say what she is doing next.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Rubén Gallego vence a Kari Lake por escaño en el Senado de Estados Unidos reporta AP
Here are the live results:
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Resultados: Kari Lake y Rubén Gallego se disputan un escaño en el Senado de Estados Unidos
Gallego, who has represented Arizona's third district in the U.S. House since 2023, co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and the My Body, My Data Act and said he would protect a woman's right to an abortion if elected. He also sees water as a top priority for Arizona and said he will protect Arizona's tribal communities, including continuing to push for improvements in healthcare for the native population.
The son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, he was raised in Chicago by a single mother and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve while he was on a break from Harvard and fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.
Lake, who still has not conceded in her 2022 loss for Arizona, campaigned on her "Mama Bear Initiative," which she said, "empowers parents to take control of their children’s education, safeguard family values, and advocate for policies that protect and strengthen the future of their families." She also said she will cut inflation, reduce the deficit and has a 10-point plan to secure the border.
Both have fought to focus voters on the issue most favorable to them. For Lake, that's the border.
Lake said that if elected, on day one, she would like to co-sponsor or write legislation to "fully fund and expedite" the construction of the southern border wall.
For Gallego, it's abortion rights after a state Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. Lake has spoken favorably of stricter limits for abortions.
Lake said if elected, she would not vote for a federal abortion ban.
Lake is an unflinching supporter of Trump and his lie that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud. Lake never conceded the 2022 race for governor and continued to fight the outcome in court even after launching her Senate campaign. Separately, she's tried and failed to convince courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, to outlaw the use of electronic voting machines.
Decision 2024
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