A Trump-supported candidate won the Arizona primary
Kari Lake’s dangerous plan to ban abortion and hurt Arizonans: a campaign to defeat Lake, Gallego, and the Marine Corps veteran
She was the one to get the support of Trump, who endorsed her when she entered the U.S. Senate race last fall. It is considered a weakness of some Arizona Republicans who fear that Lake will lose another statewide race to Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran who is consistently favored in the polls.
With results from early voting reported, Lake led with approximately 54% of the GOP primary vote, well more than the roughly 40% held by her rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and a distant third challenger, Elizabeth Reye. Lake’s margin of victory may change as more votes are counted.
Lake told the crowd at her election night rally that Arizonans had less than three-and-a-half months to save the country.
Ruben Gallego, a congressman from Mesa, who was nominated by his party for the Senate seat left open by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, was elected without opposition.
Her shifting position on abortion has also come under fire from Democrats in a state grappling with a ballot measure to enshrine the right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution this fall.
In April, Lake denounced an Arizona Supreme Court ruling reviving a near-total ban on abortion in the state — a law she previously praised as a gubernatorial candidate, when she said she was “thrilled” Arizona would have the ban on the books in the event the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“From now until November, I welcome all Arizonans — Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike — to join our team and help defeat Kari Lake and her dangerous plan to ban abortion and hurt Arizonans,” Gallego said in a statement Tuesday night.
At times during her victory speech on Tuesday, Lake sought to strike a collaborative tone, calling on “Trump Republicans” and “traditional Republicans” alike to join together to support her.
Arizona primary elections: Hamadeh, Donald Trump and Juan Ciscomani in the Republican Presidential Candidate’s Seat in 2022
Primary races in Arizona have attracted high-profile endorsements because the state has become a swing state in the presidential contest. The state helped Democrats win key statewide races like the U.S. Senate seat held by Masters in 2022, as well as helping President Biden seal his win in 2020.
The votes are still being counted but the AP reported that Hamadeh received 29.8% of the vote and Masters secured 25.3%.
Masters was endorsed by the Republican presidential candidate on Truth Social Saturday night. Masters lost the U.S. Senate race in Arizona in 2022.
Former President Donald Trump made sure his favored candidate won in the western suburbs of Phoenix — by endorsing the two front-runners in the heated congressional race.
The Democratic primary in Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District has not yet been called. Former Arizona state Sen. Raquel Terán is facing off against former Phoenix City councilmember Yassamin Ansari.
Republican candidates for the 1st Congressional District were easily defeated by incumbent Republican Rep. David Schweikert. The race for his opponent has not yet been called.
In the 6th Congressional District in southern Arizona, first-term Republican Rep. JuanCiscomani won the GOP primary and is on his way to a second term in the seat.
Democratic candidate for US Senate in Arizona, Ruben Gallego, has started a campaign to defeat Republican Kari Lake and her “dangerous” plan to ban abortion. In April, Lake opposed an Arizona Supreme Court ruling that revived a near-total ban on abortion in the state. Lake had previously praised Arizona’s law, which she said she was ‘thrilled’ Arizona would have the ban.