Kari Lake wins Arizona GOP primary, will face Ruben Gallego in November

Kari Lake won her Republican primary in Arizona on Tuesday and will now face Democratic challenger Rep. Ruben Gallego in what is expected to be one of the most closely watched and hard-fought U.S. Senate races in the 2024 general election.

Lake, a former television news anchor, has been one of former President Donald Trump's most loyal defenders with a national reputation for election denialism and attacking the media as "fake news." The 54-year old Republican beat out two other primary contenders, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and Elizabeth Jean Reye, in a race in which she was long viewed as the front-runner.

Gallego represents a portion of Phoenix and did not have a Democratic primary challenger in his bid to succeed freshman Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent who opted for retirement this November.

Lake had long been considered the presumptive Republican Senate nominee even before she officially put her hat in the ring. She received endorsements from most of the Republican establishment in Washington, as well as Trump, during a primary campaign in which she was mentioned as a possible Trump vice presidential pick.

Lamb was also a Trump supporter but shied away from seeking big-name endorsements during the primary election.

“Endorsements don’t mean much in modern-day elections, and we aren’t pursuing them. That’s because voters don’t want to be told how to vote by political power brokers," Lamb's campaign told The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, in March.

He raised many of the same issues as Lake but with a measure of elective success, a lack of money compared with his main primary opponent, and less hostility to the media covering a race that could help determine control of the U.S. Senate next year.

The Arizona Senate race is one of a handful of competitive contests in the November general election that could determine which party controls the upper chamber in the 119th Congress.

Beyond Arizona, Democrats are fighting to hold on to seats in Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Cook Political Report listed Michigan, Montana, Nevada and Ohio ? seats now held by Democrats ? as "toss-ups." Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are listed as "leans Democratic."

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Kari Lake wins Arizona GOP primary for U.S. Senate race