Although Arizona went red for President Donald Trump (R), the support wasn't enough to send Kari Lake (R) to the senate. The Associated Press has not officially called the race for her democratic opponent, but Lake is trailing by 2.2% with 92% of the votes recorded.
Both Lake and Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (D) ran a hotly contested race to replace Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I) after she announced she would not seek reelection.
Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Rep. Gallego, but Lake has not conceded the race.
Decision Desk HQ projects Ruben Gallego (D) wins the US Senate election in Arizona.#DecisionMade: 8:57 PM EDT
Follow live results here:https://t.co/Dalbgd1kjG pic.twitter.com/7uYO8QdVjH
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 10, 2024
Lake previously ran for Arizona governor in 2020, losing the race. She hoped to flip the senate seat red this time around, aggressively campaigning to address border concerns and affirming that she would support President Trump's "America First" agenda. However, Rep. Gallego, a marine and congressman, appears to have been able to garner enough support in the state to emerge victorious.
Last month, both candidates faced off in a heated debate. Lake accused Rep. Gallego of supporting an "open border" policy, which he vehemently rejected. In the debate, the Democratic congressman warned that Lake had "failed the basic test of honesty."
Despite Lake's projected loss, Republicans gained control of the senate and are close to gaining control of the House.
Lake took to social media over the weekend to offer a message of gratitude to supporters, hinting that a concession could come soon. On social media, she wrote, "thank you to all of the grassroots patriots who worked so hard to ensure that every vote gets counted."
Barring a last-minute legal intervention, the period for ballot curing has closed.
Thank you to all of the grassroots patriots who worked so hard to ensure that every vote gets counted.
I love you, Arizona. pic.twitter.com/NTLTqz8puK
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) November 11, 2024
