Dem Rep Ruben Gallego defeated Kari Lake in the battle for the Arizona Senate seat

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., won Arizona’s open Senate race, defeating Republican Kari Lake, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press Monday night.

Gallego has served in the House of Representatives since 2015, representing Arizona’s 7th and 3rd congressional districts.

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Lake ran unsuccessfully for governor of Arizona in 2022 and was defeated by Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz. Before running for premier, he was a news anchor for an Arizona television station and worked in the media for 27 years.

After losing in 2022, he challenged the results, raising concerns of fraud in the state. Lake still argues that there have been significant irregularities in 2020 and 2022, echoing allegations made by Trump and many of his supporters. Concerns have led the Republican National Committee to devote significant resources to election integrity efforts.

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On Tuesday night primaries were held to fill the seat vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)

Lake faced Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in the Republican Senate primary, while Gallego had a chance to run in the unopposed Democratic primary.

Fox News Power Rankings in September rated the Arizona Senate race as “Leans Democrat.” Similarly, the Cook Political Report, the top political handicapper, also considers the race “Lean Democrat.”

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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks to the committee on Oct. 19, 2021, in Washington, DC (Photo by Rod Lamkey-Pool/Getty Images)

The Senate seat is currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Ariz., elected as a Democrat. He is still negotiating with Senate Democrats but was officially registered as an independent years ago after opposing his fellow Senate Democrats in a legislative filibuster. Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin, IW.Va., are said to be arguing with Democrats to raise the 60-vote limit for a filibuster.

Both senators have decided not to run for re-election.

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Rep. Ruben Gallego and Kari Lake are battling it out in the Arizona Senate race. (Getty Images)

Before he announced that he would not seek another term, the prospect of Sinema running as a third party threatened to upend the Senate race, as strategists were unsure how his supporters would break out.

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In the polls leading up to the Senate election, Gallego often led Lake by single digits. He was able to lead his rival in a poll that saw Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris. Experts speculated that his connections with Latino voters could have fueled split-ticket voting in the state, despite the fact that the practice has become rare.

While Lake often played up his relationship with Trump, who polled more than him in the state, Gallego rarely did the same with Harris during his campaign.

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