Democrat Ruben Gallego Wins Arizona US Senate Victory Over Republican Kari Lake

Democrat Ruben Gallego has become Arizona’s first Latino US senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from increasing their Senate majority.

Gallego’s victory extends a series of Democratic wins in a state that was once reliably Republican until the presidency of Donald Trump in 2016. Since then, Arizona voters have consistently rejected Trump-endorsed candidates, though this year the president-elect won Arizona over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Gracias, Arizona!” Gallego wrote on the social platform X.

With this win, Republicans will hold 53 seats in the 100-member Senate. Gallego, a five-term House member and Iraq War veteran, often highlighted his personal journey — raised by a single mother and later attending Harvard — in his campaign messaging. He will replace Kyrsten Sinema, who, as a Democrat, won the seat in 2018, establishing a Democratic success strategy that has continued in recent years.

Sinema left the Democratic Party two years ago after clashing with the party’s left wing. She considered running as an independent for a second term but decided against it, seeing no clear path to victory.

“Yes, he could!”, several Gallego supporters chanted in Spanish as he delivered his initial remarks after the race was called.

“I will fight for Arizona in Washington,” Gallego told cheering supporters, pledging to represent all Arizonans, including those who didn’t vote for him.

Gallego’s brief speech included tributes to his mother, crediting her with his achievements, and promises to work on fixing the nation’s immigration system, advocating for veterans, and supporting women’s reproductive rights.

Gallego outperformed Harris in Arizona, suggesting a significant portion of voters supported Trump at the top of the ticket but chose the Democrat in the Senate race.

This trend mirrors previous election patterns in the state, including the victories of Sinema and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in 2020 and 2022. Similar ticket-splitting was crucial for Democratic wins in the Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada Senate races this year, despite Trump winning those states.

Meanwhile, Republicans flipped Democratic-held Senate seats in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana. In the latter three cases, Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown, Bob Casey, and Jon Tester also outran Harris on the ballot but couldn’t overcome the Republican shift in their states.

Gallego’s lead was clear from the first results on election night, although it narrowed as more ballots were counted. Arizona, where most voters cast ballots by mail, is known for lengthy counts due to the verification and processing required for mail-in votes, many of which are dropped off on Election Day.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

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