Gallego leads Lake in early returns for U.S. Senate seat

Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran, faces well-known former television news anchor and staunch Donald Trump ally Kari Lake in Tuesday's election for U.S. Senate in a state with a recent history of extremely close elections.

The race is one of a handful that will determine the Senate majority. It is a test of the strength of the anti-Trump coalition that has powered the rise of Democrats in Arizona, which was reliably Republican until 2016. Arizona voters have rejected Trump and his favored candidates in every statewide election since then.

Arizona is one of seven battleground states expected to decide the presidency.

Gallego led Lake in early returns, which comprised mail ballots received and counted before Election Day and about half of the total expected votes. Gallego expressed confidence when he spoke to Democrats on Tuesday night in Phoenix.

“We had a mantra on this campaign: Go everywhere and talk to everyone,” Gallego said. “And that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t take one vote for granted.”

In a break with tradition, Lake and the Arizona Republican Party did not hold an election night party. Her usually active social media accounts were quiet in the hours after polls closed.

The winner of the Senate race will replace Kyrsten Sinema, whose 2018 victory as a Democrat created a formula that the party has successfully replicated since.