A group of moderates is expected to raise money for Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Saturday as his Senate race against Kari Lake heats up, Gallego’s campaign confirmed to The Hill.
Prominent donors to the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) will host a fundraiser for the Phoenix Democrat, proving their appeal to the center. Fundraising was first reported by Politico.
Both Gallego and Lake attempted to occupy the middle of the race, although Lake struggled to overcome his controversial 2022 gubernatorial campaign and his close alignment with former President Trump.
In that 2022 race, Lake once told Republicans who supported McCain that“get out,”and openly rejected the medium. She also embraced voter fraud conspiracies in 2020 and later claimed her election loss was fraudulent.
Gallego downplayed his long connections to progressive politics, including letting his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus lapse, opting instead to appeal to more conventional Democrats and moderates in the state race.
Arizona is expected to be one of the tightest Senate races in the country as Democrats hope to maintain a slim majority in the deliberative body.
The fundraising could expand Gallego’s financial advantage over Lake. His campaign ended the first quarter of the year with $9.6 million in cash on hand, compared to Lake’s $2.5 million. He has outperformed Lake nearly four times since the race began, raising $20.5 million to her $5.6 million.
The money is already being spent, with Gallego announcing a $19 million advertising campaign and Lake a $10 million purchase on Monday.
Gallego has a 4.1 percentage point lead over Lake in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
