Kari Lake Gains Ground on Ruben Gallego in Fierce U.S. Senate Showdown

Republican candidate Kari Lake has made significant progress in narrowing the vote gap with her Democratic opponent, Ruben Gallego, in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race. As of Friday evening, Lake was trailing by just 1.1 percentage points, equivalent to 32,779 votes, after Maricopa County released results from approximately 123,220 ballots.

Initially, Gallego led by 2.5 percentage points and over 52,578 votes on election day. However, as tallies continued, his lead diminished to 43,698 votes by Thursday and further decreased on Friday.

Lake, a former television news anchor in Phoenix, saw her support surge in heavily Republican counties, particularly Yavapai, where she received nearly 76% of the new votes. Meanwhile, Gallego captured 57% of the new ballots from Coconino County.

The dynamic in Maricopa County, which holds roughly 60% of Arizona’s electorate, remains crucial. On Friday, Lake led Gallego in new votes counted in the county by a margin of 2 percentage points. However, the slow counting process in the county has drawn criticism both locally and nationally.

Traditionally, Maricopa County has averaged 13 days to complete vote counting over the past 16 years; this year, the process has been further delayed due to a lengthy ballot that complicates the tabulation.

As of Friday, 81% of the state’s ballots had been tallied, leaving about 351,000 in Maricopa County and nearly 629,000 statewide still to be counted. Approximately 2.8 million ballots had been processed out of nearly 4.4 million registered voters, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Continuing her campaign efforts, Lake has mobilized her team to encourage voters to resolve any issues with their ballots, such as missing signatures, to ensure their votes are counted. Supporters of Lake, including Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer, expressed optimism about her chances of overtaking Gallego as results continue to come in.

Turning Point USA, a prominent conservative organization based in Phoenix, is actively engaged in efforts to increase Republican voter turnout this election cycle. The group’s CEO, Charlie Kirk, reiterated their commitment to ensuring every eligible vote is counted in favor of Lake.

The campaigns of both Lake and Gallego have been marked by intense exchanges, with each candidate trading accusations and personal attacks. Gallego’s platform highlights issues such as affordable living, abortion rights, and a balanced approach to border security. In contrast, Lake’s campaign mirrors former President Trump’s stances, advocating for the completion of the border wall, mass deportation, and an extension of tax cuts.

Trump’s endorsement has been a notable aspect of Lake’s campaign, as he supported her in both her previous gubernatorial bid and her current Senate race.

Although Lake continues to pursue the Senate seat, she remains engaged in a legal dispute over the 2022 gubernatorial election results, which she has yet to concede fully. Recently, the Arizona Supreme Court denied her final appeal in this case. Moreover, Lake is faced with potential damages in a defamation lawsuit related to her claims against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.