Gallego wins Arizona Senate seat, hanging on for Democrats
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Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego defeated former television news anchor Kari Lake in Arizona's pivotal open Senate race, AP projected on Monday night.
Why it matters: Gallego's victory keeps the seat in the Democrats' column and again prevents conservative, Trump-backed Lake from assuming elected office.
- The party already lost the majority in the chamber by failing to fend off Republican challengers in Ohio and Montana.
- The seat was vacated by retiring one-term Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who continued to caucus with Democrats even after breaking with the party in 2022 and registering as an independent.
- When Sinema won in 2018, she was the first Democrat from Arizona elected to the U.S. Senate in 30 years.
The big picture: Immigration and crime were central issues in the race, with Lake seeking to tie Gallego to President Biden's U.S-Mexico border policy and echoing President-elect Trump's rhetoric.
- "Your votes on the border have empowered the cartels," Lake charged at their Oct. 9 debate, calling illegal border crossings an "invasion."
- Gallego countered by highlighting Lake's opposition to a bipartisan border deal that Senate Republicans blocked at Trump's behest.
Zoom out: Gallego, a retired Marine who served in Iraq before he was elected to the House a decade ago, played up his military record.
- Lake, who mounted an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2022, leaned on the familiarity she garnered during her three-decade television career in Arizona.
- The race has been among this cycle's most expensive congressional contests.
Go deeper: GOP Rep. Mike Garcia concedes to Democratic rival
