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In a historic victory, Representative Ruben Gallego has become Arizona’s first Latino senator, defeating Republican contender Kari Lake and maintaining the Democratic presence in the region. This win adds to the Democratic Party’s recent successes in Arizona, a state that had consistently voted Republican until Trump’s 2016 presidential victory.

“Gracias, Arizona!” Gallego wrote on the social platform X.

The outcome positions Republicans with 53 Senate seats, pending David McCormick’s anticipated victory confirmation in Pennsylvania. Gallego, a decorated Iraq War veteran and five-term House representative, will succeed Kyrsten Sinema, who departed from the Democratic Party and opted not to seek reelection.

“Yes, he could!” several Gallego supporters shouted in Spanish as he offered his first comments after the race was called.

“I will fight for Arizona in Washington,” Gallego told the cheering supporters, saying that he would fight as much for the people who did not vote for him as the ones who did.

During his acceptance speech, Gallego acknowledged his single mother’s role in his success and outlined his commitment to addressing immigration reform, veterans’ issues, and reproductive rights.

The election results showed Gallego outperforming Vice President Harris, indicating significant ticket-splitting among voters. This pattern mirrors previous Democratic victories in Arizona and other battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Gallego’s journey from being raised by a single mother in Chicago to attending Harvard and serving in the Marines resonated with voters. His campaign emphasized his military service and personal narrative while positioning himself as a pragmatic moderate.

Throughout the race, Gallego maintained strong fundraising numbers and focused his campaign on criticizing Lake’s stance on abortion rights and her previous election denial claims. Lake, a former news anchor and Trump ally, struggled to balance her conservative base while appealing to moderate voters.

Lake concentrated her campaign on border security issues but faced challenges in maintaining consistent messaging on controversial topics. The race’s conclusion came after Arizona’s characteristically lengthy vote-counting process, attributed to the state’s predominantly mail-in voting system.