Lake, Hamadeh projected to win Republican primaries in Arizona
Voters in Arizona cast their ballots in a slate of primary elections Tuesday, including a Republican primary for what will be a hotly contested Senate seat that could help determine which party controls the chamber next year.
Perhaps the most closely watched primary in the state was for the Republican nomination to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I), who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to a second term. The winner of the GOP primary will advance to the general election to face Rep. Ruben Gallego (D), who is uncontested in the Democratic primary.
There are also competitive primaries for two of the state’s largest congressional districts, including one that Democrats see as an opportunity to flip a House seat and another that will pit two top allies of former president Donald Trump against one another.
Senate GOP primary
Former television anchor Kari Lake, who ran for Arizona governor and lost in 2022, is projected to win the Republican primary for the Senate race in Arizona, according to the Associated Press. Lake defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and Elizabeth Reye, a neuroscientist who positioned herself as a “Reagan Republican.”
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Former president Donald Trump endorsed Lake, who has echoed Trump’s false claims that widespread voter fraud cost them their elections. Lake will advance to the general election to face Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who ran uncontested in the Democratic primary.
1st District Democratic primary
A crowded field of Democrats is competing to take on incumbent Rep. David Schweikert (R) in what is likely to be the state’s most competitive race in November. Arizona’s 1st Congressional District is sprawling, covering much of northeastern Phoenix as well as the wealthy suburbs of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Cave Creek and Fountain Hills.
The half-dozen Democratic candidates vying for the party’s nomination include business executive Andrei Cherny, former television anchor Marlene Galán-Woods, orthodontist Andrew Horne, business executive Kurt Kroemer, lawyer Conor O’Callaghan and former state representative Amish Shah. No clear front-runners have emerged.
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The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the general election to face Schweikert, who has served in the House for nearly 15 years. He was first elected to Congress in 2010, and he has won reelection — in various redrawn districts — several times since, though his margins of victory have decreased over the years. Schweikert narrowly won reelection in 2022 by less than one percentage point, and Democrats have targeted his seat as a possible pickup.
8th District Republican primary
Former prosecutor Abe Hamadeh, who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona attorney general in 2022, is projected to win the Republican primary for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press, defeating venture capitalist Blake Masters and others.
In an unusual circumstance, both Hamadeh and Masters had the support of Trump, who had initially only backed Hamadeh -- but then hedged his bets with a last-minute dual endorsement. The field also included several prominent state Republicans, including the Arizona House Speaker, vying for a chance to replace Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), who announced in October that she would not seek reelection after the end of her term.
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Hamadeh will advance to the general election to face Gregory Whitten, a biosecurity expert and former Pentagon worker who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Republicans are favored to win in the massive, conservative-leaning district, which covers much of north Glendale and the West Valley suburbs of Peoria, Sun City and Sun City West, and stretches all the way north to Lake Pleasant and New River.
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez contributed to this report.
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