PHOENIX – Lake Kari won the Republican Senate primaries in Arizonaprojects NBC News, officially establishing a critical confrontation against the Democratic congressman. Ruben Gallego.
Lake, a strong ally of the former president donald trumpwas ahead of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb 55% to 39%, with about 95% of the vote expected. Former news anchor Elizabeth Reye came in a distant third.
Lake advances to the general election for the seat being vacated by the independent senator. Kyrsten Cinema against Gallego, a Phoenix-area House member and Navy veteran who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The race in battleground Arizona will be among the few that determine party control of the Senate this fall.
“This is not a battle between Democrats and Republicans. This is a battle between good and evil,” Lake said at his election night event. “This is a battle between the people who want to destroy this country and the people who want to save America.”
Lake, 54, a former broadcaster, first emerged on the political scene during her unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial bid as a prominent promoter of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. She later refused to accept her own defeat to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is now governor of Arizona.
Lake heavily praised Trump’s endorsement again during his Senate campaign. She arrived at her polling place in Paradise Valley on Tuesday in a new tour bus that featured a giant decal of her and Trump and the words “Endorsed by President Trump.”
“Knowing that I am endorsed by Trump is important to a lot of people here in Arizona,” Lake said.
Lake’s challenge will now take his MAGA-themed message to a broader electorate in a swing state critical to both the White House race and control of the Senate. Democrats hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
Gallego, 44, who was once a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, threw your will to work across the aisle while seeking statewide office.
“In the 554 days since we launched this campaign, Arizonans in every corner of the state have made it clear they want a U.S. Senator who can unite people to defend abortion rights, cut costs for families, protect our future water and take care of our veterans – and that is exactly what I intend to do,” Gallego said in a statement Tuesday night.
Gallego enters the general election phase of the race with a cash advantage: He had $8.2 million in his campaign account, compared to Lake’s $2.1 million as of July 10.
The Key House primaries are on the line
Arizona also hosted notable House primaries, several of which remained uncalled as of Wednesday morning.
Freshman GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani fended off a primary challenger in the 6th District, setting up a rematch with former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, a Democrat.
Engel, who ran uncontested in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, lost to Ciscomani two years ago by less than 2 percentage points. The race for the seat – which covers much of the state’s southeast, including Tucson – is considered a to play by Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.
In another battleground, the 6th District, a packed group of Democrats were competing to take on Republican Rep. David Schweikert.
In the 8th District, former Maricopa County prosecutor Abe Hamadeh, financier Blake Masters and state House Speaker Ben Toma were locked in a tight race for the Republican primary.
Hamadeh and Masters, 2020 election deniers who ran unsuccessfully for state office two years ago, had Trump’s support. The winner of the primary will be a heavy favorite in the general election to replace retiring congresswoman Debbie Lesko.
And in the 3rd District, the seat Gallego is vacating to run for Senate, former Phoenix City Council member Yassamin Ansari and former state Democratic Party Chairwoman Raquel Terán were fighting in the Democratic primary.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
