Kari Lake wins Arizona Republican Senate primary, will meet Ruben Gallego in November

Kari Lake, a former candidate for governor and an ally of former President Donald Trump, has won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona, according to a race call by The Associated Press. The contest could help determine which party controls the chamber this fall.

Based on early voting results, Lake held roughly 53% of the GOP primary vote. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb trailed with about 41%, and Elizabeth Jean Reye placed a distant third. Lake's margin is likely to shift as more ballots are counted.

Speaking to supporters at an election night rally in Phoenix after the call, Lake said Arizonans had less than three and a half months to help Trump save the country. "He can't do this alone," she said. "He needs backup in Washington, D.C." When someone in the crowd shouted that he needs Lake, she answered, "I'm gonna be his backup!"

In November she will face Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, who ran unopposed for his party's nomination. The seat is currently held by Sen. Krysten Sinema, an independent who is retiring.

Lake has identified as a MAGA Republican since she began her political career with an unsuccessful 2022 run for governor. She continues to deny that she lost that race to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Earlier this month she filed another lawsuit seeking to overturn the result and have herself installed as governor.

That stance may have helped her win Trump's backing; he quickly endorsed her when she entered the Senate race last fall. Some Arizona Republicans, however, see it as a liability. They worry she could lose another statewide contest to Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran who has consistently led her in polls so far.

Democrats have also targeted her changing position on abortion, an especially live issue in a state where voters will decide this fall on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution. In April, Lake denounced an Arizona Supreme Court ruling that revived a near-total abortion ban. As a gubernatorial candidate, she had praised that law, saying she was "thrilled" Arizona would have it on the books if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Gallego has strongly supported the ballot measure and has pledged to abolish the Senate filibuster in order to codify Roe v. Wade.

Arizona has become a key swing state in the presidential contest, drawing high-profile endorsements and attention even to primary races. The state helped deliver President Biden's 2020 victory, and in 2022 Democrats swept major statewide races, including the U.S. Senate seat that Masters lost. Republicans now hold an advantage of nearly 260,000 among registered voters and hope to use it to win the state back for Trump.