Kari Lake Narrows Ruben Gallego’s Edge in U.S. Senate Showdown

U.S. Congressman Ruben Gallego’s lead over former television anchor Kari Lake in Arizona’s U.S. Senate race has narrowed significantly as more ballots were counted on Thursday. As results from Maricopa County, which houses 60% of the state’s electorate, began to come in at around 7 p.m., Gallego was ahead by just 1.7 percentage points, translating to a 43,698-vote margin. This is a decline from his previous lead of 2.5 percentage points and 52,578 votes reported on Wednesday.

The new batch of results highlighted a shift in momentum, with Lake’s campaign team actively engaging supporters on social media, encouraging them to address ballot issues to ensure their votes were counted. The 72,100 additional ballots counted from Maricopa showed 57% support for Lake against 41% for Gallego, pushing the county’s total tallied votes above 1.6 million. Notably, about 472,000 ballots remain to be counted in the county, with an estimated 780,000 still statewide.

Despite the historical context indicating an average 13-day counting period in the county, speculation arose among Lake’s supporters about election manipulation favoring Gallego. This came amid frustrations given Lake’s challenges in gaining ground, particularly as former President Donald Trump amassed over 128,000 more votes than she did in Arizona.

Lake’s campaign has been marked by a history of election fraud allegations since her defeat in the 2022 gubernatorial race against Democrat Katie Hobbs, continuing into the narrative surrounding the 2020 presidential results. On the other end, Gallego has been championing issues like affordability for middle-class families, abortion rights, and a balanced approach to border security.

Historically, Gallego, a former U.S. Marine who has represented the state’s 3rd Congressional District since 2015, has attracted support from moderate Republicans who opposed Lake due to her polarizing tactics. Conversely, Lake, a fervent supporter of Trump, has built her candidacy around completing Trump’s border wall, endorsing mass deportations, and continuing his tax policies.

While campaigning for the Senate seat, Lake also continued her legal battles over the 2022 gubernatorial election results, which culminated in the Arizona Supreme Court denying her final appeal this week. She faces potential damages related to a defamation suit brought by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer after Lake admitted to liability in her alleged false statements regarding election rigging.