Lake Wins AZ GOP Primary, Trails Gallego in General

(The Center Square) – Multiple media outlets are calling it – former TV Anchor Kari Lake will win the GOP Arizona U.S. Senate primary election. As of Tuesday at 9 p.m. local time, Lake led her closest opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, with 53% of the vote. Lake thanked her friends, family and supporters during her election watch party following the announcement of the election results.

“I want to thank the people who voted for me,” Lake said. “It’s going to take each and every one of us at this moment.”

“Holding Out for a Hero” played as Lake walked on stage and once the cheering crowd quieted, she said, “I think we all share one common hero. And I think it’s fair to say that all of us would say our favorite President Donald J. Trump is a hero.”

The crowd of people cheered as Lake assured her supporters that she would be Trump’s backup in Washington D.C.

“We’ve got to move past the disagreements so we can move on and start accomplishing things for this country,” Lake said.

According to Noble Predictive Insights, Lake had a solid lead over Lamb throughout the campaign.

An NPI report stated, “Kari Lake leads Mark Lamb 49% to 38% in the GOP Senate primary. “When unsure voters were pushed to make a choice, Lake reached the coveted 50% threshold of support while Lamb’s support remained unchanged.

Lake has run on a conservative platform and has touted former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Her priorities include securing the border, water conservation, cutting inflation, and promoting pro-life choices when it comes to abortion.

Lake will be going head-to-head with democratic candidate Ruben Gallego. He has worked in congress to cut costs and support veterans in Arizona. Gallego’s priorities include ensuring access to abortion, raising the minimum wage, addressing the teacher shortage, addressing border security while fighting for immigration reform and fortifying the right to vote.

“I’m excited to elect @RubenGallego to the US Senate this fall, and I urge you to join me,” reads a post on X by Arizona Corporation Commissioner Anna Tovar. “As the son of immigrants, his leadership would offer us a seat at the table, putting everyday, hardworking Arizonans first. And that’s the kind of leadership we need.”

According to the NPI polling report, Lake may not have as much support in the general election against Gallego. Lake has been running on a conservative MAGA platform that won’t attract the independent and unaffiliated voters that would be needed to win the general election.

“She is struggling to appeal to the broader electorate,” said Paul Bentz, senior vice president of research and strategy for Highground Public Affairs. “She is a very successful primary candidate and does a very good job of rallying the base, but she struggles against a more centrist candidate in the general election.”

Lake and Gallego will be competing for current supporters of Independent Arizona U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who announced in March that she would not be running for reelection. Either Gallego or Lake will be elected in November to join Democrat Mark Kelly to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate unless Kelly is tapped to join Vice President Kamala Harris on her presidential campaign.

Reporting by Madeline Armstrong