Gallego will be state’s first Latino in Senate, filling the seat of Democrat turned independent senator Krysten Sinema
Summary
Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego has won the Arizona Senate race, becoming the state’s first Latino senator and defeating far-right candidate Kari Lake.
Gallego will replace Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent who did not seek re-election.
Gallego’s lead in fundraising and consistent polling advantage helped secure his 50% to 48% victory. Lake struggled to attract moderate Republicans and independents, partly due to her past criticisms of John McCain.
This win gives Republicans a 52-47 Senate majority, as Democrats lost seats in West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana.
It's really weird how much ticket splitting there's been in those battleground states. Harris lost them, but the state wide races generally went well for the Dems.
Disillusionment campaigns worked. Same as in 2016 with the Bernie bros refusing to back Clinton.
Just needed enough noise about reasons NOT to vote for Kamala. And people would still vote the rest of the ticket, but not for her. Because we all forgot about the importance of strategic voting in FPTP.
I love how the Democratic party has no responsibility for losing the election. Harris followed the same playbook as Clinton: tack to the right, wag your finger at the left and campaign in Texas.
They're still trying to chase those 'moderate' Republicans instead of turning out their base.