Arizona Senate Race: Kari Lake Struggles to Consolidate GOP Base

The race for Arizona’s US Senate seat is heating up as Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and GOP candidate Kari Lake are locked in a close battle, according to a new Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey. Gallego currently leads Lake by 2.2 points, with 11.6% of respondents undecided.

While both candidates are favored to win their party nominations, Lake is facing challenges in consolidating the GOP base. The poll shows that Gallego is winning 15% of GOP voters, while Lake is only supported by roughly 80% of Republicans. This crossover support for the Democratic congressman could prove to be a significant obstacle for Lake in her quest to flip the Senate seat for the GOP.

Lake, who ran a Trump-aligned campaign in 2022, has been working to expand her coalition in Arizona. However, her endorsement of Trump’s debunked election fraud claims has caused some division within the Republican party. Despite her efforts to unify the party, Lake’s struggle to court moderate voters may jeopardize the GOP’s chances of winning the Senate seat.

As the race continues to unfold, both candidates will need to navigate these challenges and appeal to a broad base of voters in order to secure victory in the fall.