OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake are neck and neck in the race for Arizona’s Senate seat this year, according to a new poll.
In a poll of 600 likely voters in Arizona, run by North Star Opinion Research, Gallego has a narrow 1-point lead, with a breakdown of 39% for Gallego, 38% for Kari Lake, and 9% for Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana.
The poll also found that former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by double digits in Arizona, up 10 points in a multi-candidate field. The top three candidates are Trump at 42%, Biden at 32%, and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 13%.
The poll was taken from June 17th to 20th, after the New York decision against Trump was made public.
The main reason Trump is ahead in the polls is that Arizonans are worried about the economy. They say they were better off under Trump by 18 points, 54% to 36%. More than two-thirds of Arizonans (69%) say Biden is not doing enough to fight inflation.
74% of people who have heard about Bidenomics say that it either doesn’t work for anyone or only helps the rich. 83% say that price increases since Biden took office have affected them, American Greatness reported.
Trump’s double-digit lead comes mostly from the fact that he is ahead among two groups that tend to vote Democratic: Hispanics and young people (18–34 years old).
2024 Arizona Senate GE:
Ruben Gallego (D) 39% (+1)
Kari Lake (R) 38%
Eduardo Quintana (G) 9%.@NorthStarOpin/@theamgreatness (R), 600 LV, 6/17-20 https://t.co/CRyPSGCUEa
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) June 25, 2024
Kari Lake is having a great deal of success raising funds for her campaign to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in the fall election.
According to her campaign, Lake brought in $4.1 million during the first quarter of this year, which “is roughly twice as much as she raised in 2023’s last fundraising quarter,” The Daily Caller reported, adding that she now has around $2.5 million in cash on hand.
The Democratic candidate, Ruben Gallego, raised $7.5 million in the first quarter and has $9.6 million in the bank, surpassing his Republican opponent, the outlet noted further.
“Kari Lake doubled her fundraising haul from last quarter. She is seeing strong from grassroots donors and Arizona donors,” a Lake campaign spokesperson noted in a statement. “Gallego is Far-Left, and out of step with Arizonans. Just like President Trump, Kari is performing strong in Arizona and will win in November.”
Lake’s campaign generated $1.3 million through 40,000 contributions, which came from approximately 22,000 individual donors. The donations were mostly small dollar amounts, with 99% of them under $200. The campaign was able to collect contributions from all 50 states in the US, as well as from Guam, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.
She raised $330,000 in a fundraiser that took place on March 6 in Washington, D.C., the day after independent Sinema announced that she would not run for office again. Gallego’s campaign reported that it managed to gather $1 million in the 24 hours following Sinema’s announcement.
During the fundraising period, Lake received support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), along with endorsements from several GOP Senators, including Tommy Tuberville from Alabama, Josh Hawley from Missouri, J.D. Vance from Ohio, Rand Paul from Kentucky, Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma, and Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming.
.@KariLake Tops $4 Million In First Fundraising Quarter Of 2024 💪 https://t.co/13kz7ooCzm
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) April 14, 2024
In the last quarter of 2023, Lake’s campaign successfully raised $2.1 million, starting the election year with a little over $1 million available for campaign activities, as per the Federal Election Commission’s records.
In comparison, Gallego’s campaign managed to raise $3.3 million during the same timeframe and had $6.5 million ready for use, the Caller noted.
According to a survey conducted by the Bullfinch Group on Friday, Lake and Gallego are tied at 41 percent, while an additional 10 percent supported an unnamed independent candidate. On March 20, an Emerson College poll showed that Gallego had a four-point lead, with 16% of voters remaining undecided.
The Cook Political Report characterizes the race for Sinema’s seat as a “Toss Up” for 2024, along with Senate races in Montana, Nevada, and Ohio, the Caller reported.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has also come out in support of Lake.
“Kari has proven that she will always prioritize the security and well-being of Arizonans and the American people and will not back down from a fight. I am proud to endorse her for the U.S. Senate today,” Cruz said in a statement shared with the Daily Mail.
Cruz praised Lake’s firm stance on immigration and border security in his endorsement, stating that the state, which has seen a significant increase in unauthorized border crossings, needs a capable leader.
“Border states have been on the frontlines of Joe Biden’s open border crisis for over three years, which is why we need a leader in Arizona who is not afraid to stand up and join the fight for a secure border,” Cruz said.
