OAN’s Sophia Flores
11:19 AM – Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Democrat Ruben Gallego has won the Arizona Senate race.
After nearly a week since Election Day, Democrat Ruben Gallego faced off and won against Republican opponent Kari Lake in the race for Arizona’s Senate seat. The tumultuous race has attracted much attention, as it was a close race that was separated by less than 75,000 votes.
The two ran to win the Senate seat currently occupied by Democrat-turned-Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema.
Lake, who had a highly successful career in the mainstream media as an anchor for 27 years, has been a rising star in the Republican party.
She has been endorsed by a long list of Republican politicians and other officials, including President-elect Donald J. Trump, former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.), and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.
Lake ran her campaign on the “Mama Bear” initiative. According to her official website, the “Mama Bear” Initiative empowers parents to “take control of their children’s education, safeguard family values, and advocate for policies that protect and strengthen the future of their families.”
She also based her campaign on a promise to tackle inflation and reduce the deficit, develop a comprehensive plan to provide Arizona with a fresh water supply, address the rising homelessness crisis, and enhance the quality of life for residents.
In addition, she vowed to reduce federal bureaucratic interference in local schools and more.
Ruben Gallego, her Senatorial opponent, is a Marine combat veteran who was first elected to the Arizona State House in 2010. He was later elected to the U.S. House in 2014.
“Ruben Gallego is the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico. Along with his three sisters, he was raised by a single mother in a small apartment on a secretary’s salary and slept on the family’s living room floor, finally getting his own bed when he went away to college,” his website states.
In the Armed Services Committee, Gallego boasts that he has established himself as a prominent voice on national security matters. He says that his main priorities revolve around access to abortion, education, democracy, the environment, climate change, and fighting for the LGBTQ+ community.
After his victory, he took to X (Twitter) to thank his supporters.
Lake has yet to concede in the race.
At the time of this reporting, Gallego won with 50% of the vote compared to Lake’s 47.8%. 93% of the expected votes have been counted.
All results are based on information provided by Reuters.
