The open Arizona U.S. Senate seat has been called with Ruben Gallego pulling through the final stretch. Gallego beat Republican Candidate Kari Lake by 72,767 votes with 99% of precincts reporting.
“What I’ve learned from every part of the state… is that we all just want a better life for ourselves and the ability to give our kids the best possible future that they could have,” Gallego said in a news conference on Monday. “So, that’s what I’m going to fight for in the Senate and I will work with anyone to get that done.”
Although the U.S. Senate has already flipped Republican, but Gallego’s win has kept one seat blue. He will be joining Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in the Upper Chamber, filling retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s seat.
Gallego’s priorities reflect those that he has worked on during his time in the U.S. House of Representatives. These are abortion access, immigration, economy and inflation, water protections and tribal communities.
Gallego voted for legislation to guarantee the right to travel across state lines to get an abortion and co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and the My Body, My Data Act. These protect women’s healthcare providers and medical data.
He said that he would waive the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade.
Other actions Gallego has promised to make is to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, vote for the CHIPS and Science Act, ensure every Arizonan has access to high quality healthcare, expand broadband on tribal lands through his Bridging the Tribal Digital Divide Act and codifying acts that would protect the right to vote such as the Jon R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
In the days after the election, Lake encouraged people to cure ballots, even those living in other states, in order to ensure all votes for her were counted. Curing ballots is when county election teams allow voters to fix any issues with their signatures or inconsistencies on their ballots.
Lake ran on a Trump-aligned campaign and was endorsed by President Donald Trump. She is a former TV personality and ran for Arizona governor in 2022, losing to Gov. Katie Hobbs. Lake has denied her election loss, resulting in numerous lawsuits.
Lake’s campaign did not reply to a request for comment in time for publication.
