Kari Lake Wins Closely Watched Arizona Senate Primary

Kari Lake won the Republican nomination for US Senate in Arizona on Tuesday, setting up a fierce battle against Democratic US Rep. Ruben Gallego for a seat that could be crucial to deciding Senate control, the AP reports. In Maricopa County, which includes metro Phoenix and 60% of Arizona's voters, Republicans also were choosing between a slate of incumbents who have stood up to former President Trump's lies about the 2020 election and challengers who claim it was stolen. The primary will give insights about where the narrowly divided state is headed going into the final sprint of the 2024 election, when Arizona is central to the fight for control of the White House and Congress.

Accepting victory Tuesday night, Lake called Trump a "hero" and urged his supporters to back her as well. "He can't do this alone," Lake said. "He needs backup in Washington, DC. And I'm going to be his backup." The once-crowded field of Republicans looking at the Senate race thinned out when Lake, who built a national profile in Trump's movement in an unsuccessful 2022 bid for Arizona governor, made clear she planned to run for the seat. Lake faces Gallego in the race to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but left the party to become an independent after her standing among the Democratic base cratered. Sinema considered running as an independent but opted against it. (More on the primary here.)