(FreePressBeacon.com) – After decisively outperforming her GOP competitors Mark Lamb and Elizabeth Reye, former TV newscaster and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake won Arizona’s Republican Senate primary.
Watch the video below.
Lake’s triumph in the primary sets up a highly anticipated general election face-off with U.S. Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who faced no opposition in his primary.
They are competing for the seat currently held by retiring Democrat-turned-Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Both Lake and Gallego have been strategically positioning themselves to appeal to moderates in this swing state, which is also a key battleground in presidential elections.
Gallego, a Marine veteran representing a mostly Democrat district, has shifted his stance on several issues, including immigration.
He has moved away from his earlier criticisms of policies like Title 42 to expel illegals and former President Donald Trump’s construction of border walls, which he deemed “useless,” to signal a more centrist approach.
After acknowledging his state is facing a border crisis, he changed his tune to say he is “not against border walls” and that they should be “part of an overall comprehensive security.”
While Gallego has been moderating his political stance, potentially at the cost of his ties with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, he still faces challenges due to his legislative record.
He previously supported measures such as the “No Money Bail Act of 2016” and the “Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act” in 2017, which advocated for significant reforms to the healthcare and bail systems in favor of illegals.
On the other side, Lake is attempting to appeal to moderate voters by adopting more centrist views on issues like abortion, border security, inflation and public safety.
Despite her popularity among Trump supporters, Lake’s previous criticism of traditional Republicans and her refusal to concede losing the gubernatorial race to Democrat Katie Hobbs could alienate independent voters.
As the campaign progresses, Gallego currently holds a slight lead over Lake in most recent polls.
The race remains highly competitive, with the possibility that Arizona voters could support candidates from different parties for the Senate and the presidency, especially with Kamala Harris now leading the Democratic presidential ticket.
When we win the U.S. Senate seat, we will Make America Safe Again.
We will Make Arizona Affordable Again.
We're going to Make Arizona Grand Again.
Let's go on and win big on November 5th and save our country! pic.twitter.com/Q8R3Kp9tGm
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) July 31, 2024
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