PHOENIX — Kari Lake has won Arizona’s Republican Senate primary, NBC News projects, officially setting up a critical matchup with Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.
Lake, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, won 77 percent of the vote, leading Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb 53 percent to 41 percent. Former news anchor Elizabeth Reye was in third place.
Lake Sen. Krysten Synema, I-Ariz., is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for the general election for the seat being vacated by Phoenix-area congresswoman and Marine veteran Gallego. The battleground Arizona race will be among several that determine partisan control of the Senate this fall.
Lake, a 54-year-old former news anchor, first burst onto the political scene during his failed 2022 gubernatorial bid as a popular promoter of false claims that Trump rigged the 2020 election. He then refused to concede his loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is now the governor of Arizona.
Lake again heavily touted the former president’s endorsement during his Senate campaign. He arrived at a polling station in Paradise Valley, Arizona, on Tuesday with the former president in a new tour bus with his giant decal and the words “Endorsed by President Trump.”
“Knowing that I’ve been endorsed by Trump is important to a lot of people in Arizona,” Lake said.
Lake’s challenge now will be to get the MAGA-themed message to a wider electorate in a critical swing situation for both the race for the White House and control of the Senate. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the upper chamber.
Gallego, 44, enters the general election phase of the race with a cash advantage: As of July 10, he had $8.2 million in his campaign account, compared to just over $2 million for Lake.
Arizona also hosted some notable House primaries on Tuesday.
Former state Sen. Kirsten Engel, a Democrat, advanced to the 6th District general election, setting up a rematch with GOP Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
Engel, who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, lost to Ciscomani in his first term two years ago by less than two percentage points. It is considered a race for a seat that covers much of the southeastern part of the state, including Tucson. to throw Cook Political Report with Amy Walter.