Arizona Senate rivals Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego launch their November campaigns

PHOENIX - The Nov. 5 general election matchup for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat is official now that rivals Kari Lake, a Republican, and Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, have won their parties’ nominations .

Previewing the election’s home stretch, Lake on Tuesday delivered remarks focused on the issues of immigration and the economy to paint a stark picture of the choice before voters, while Gallego’s opening salvo centered around abortion rights, a topic expected to drive Democratic turnout this election.

The Arizona Senate race is one of a handful of competitive contests in the November general election that could determine which party controls the upper chamber in the 119th Congress that convenes at the start of 2025.

It’s closely watched because of Lake’s prominence as one of former President Donald Trump's most loyal defenders with a national reputation for election denialism and attacking the media as "fake news."

Lake defeated two primary opponents, including Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, while Gallego, a U.S. representative whose district covers a portion of Phoenix, ran for his party's nomination unopposed. Both want to succeed single-term Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent who opted for retirement this November.

Kari Lake says election about 'good and evil' following modest victory

Leading up to Tuesday’s elections, there was little doubt that Lake would defeat Lamb, who lacked the fundraising, endorsements, and public profile that typically energize a winning campaign. But Lake underperformed the expectations of a 30-point victory margin her own campaign had set in the weeks prior, winning by roughly half that margin, according to unofficial returns.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters after her victory was announced, Lake reprised many of the same themes that have animated both her and Trump’s campaigns. She charged Gallego is weak on border security and reminded voters of the generally rosy state of the economy under Trump.

On Wednesday Lake attended a rally featuring Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s vice presidential pick. Lake praised Vance, R-Ohio, and said she would vote for “America First” policy as a U.S. senator even if it means angering the political establishment "swamp."

Though she tempered her Tuesday evening speech with a call to unite as Americans — "doesn't matter if you're the pizza party, the pool party, the Democrat Party, the Republican Party" — Lake framed the election as a choice between “good and evil.”

"This is a battle between the people who want to destroy this country, and the people who want to save America,” Lake said.

Gallego rejected that idea when asked about Lake’s remark on Wednesday.

“I don’t think she’s evil,” Gallego said.

"A lot of Arizonans that I disagree with politically ... I do it in a respectful manner. I don't think they're evil either. And it's sad that she's putting politics in that light."

Gallego kicks off general election with renewed focus on abortion rights

Gallego is putting abortion rights at the forefront of his campaign.

It's a topic that has galvanized Democrats since the overturning of Roe vs. Wade in 2022 and is expected to drive Democratic turnout this year in Arizona, where Republican lawmakers led the push to implement a 15-week abortion ban and a proposed constitutional amendment on the topic is coming to the November statewide ballot.

On Wednesday, Gallego held a roundtable event at a feminist-styled print shop in downtown Phoenix whose decor declared “women don’t owe you s—” and “dissent is patriotic.”

Gallego told two dozen abortion-rights advocates and doctors that he and his wife learned they were pregnant with their 1-year-old daughter during the time when it was uncertain whether Arizona’s territorial-era, near-total ban on abortion would go into effect. They worried whether they would need to hire a lawyer if something went wrong with the pregnancy, Gallego said.

"This is a member of Congress that's thinking about that. Imagine for a working-class family. Imagine for a single woman,” he said.

Lake has challenged Gallego to a debate on the topic of abortion rights. Taking questions from reporters after Wednesday’s event, Gallego said he was “looking forward” to discussing the matter during Arizona’s upcoming publicly funded series of televised debates.

Republic reporter Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Senate rivals Kari Lake and Ruben Gallego launch their November campaigns