Republicans celebrated a crucial victory on Election Day, securing majority control of the Senate. However, the extent of their advantage remains unclear as some pivotal races, like the Arizona Senate contest, continue to be contested. Despite multiple media outlets declaring Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego the winner, Republican candidate Kari Lake has yet to concede.
Lake, known for her combative political style, is not backing down. Her campaign has cited ballot-counting irregularities and alleged bias from a key election official as reasons to challenge the reported results, fueling uncertainty in the high-stakes race.
On Monday, several media outlets, including the Associated Press, projected Gallego as the winner in the Arizona Senate race. The AP justified its call by pointing to the remaining ballots and Lake’s slim chances of overcoming her deficit.
With about 95% of the ballots counted, Lake trailed Gallego by over 70,000 votes. Only around 181,000 ballots remained, predominantly from Democrat-leaning Maricopa and Pima Counties. Analysts noted that Lake would need to secure approximately 70% of those ballots to catch up, but she was only capturing around 40% in the latest counts. As a result, Gallego’s 50-48% lead appeared insurmountable.
Decision Desk HQ, another election tracker, echoed this projection, tweeting:
“Decision Desk HQ projects Ruben Gallego (D) wins the US Senate election in Arizona.”
Lake’s campaign, however, has not accepted the projections. Over the weekend, her team made a final push to “cure” ballots—correcting errors on absentee and mail-in votes—to narrow the gap. Although the curing period ended Sunday, Lake expressed gratitude to her supporters in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying:
“Thank you to all the grassroots patriots who worked so hard to ensure every vote gets counted. I love you, Arizona.”
The campaign also raised concerns about sudden increases in the number of uncounted ballots in Pima and Yuma Counties, discrepancies they argue would likely benefit Gallego. Additionally, Lake has pointed to bias from Maricopa County’s top election official, Stephen Richer, whose personal animus toward her became public earlier this year.
During a defamation lawsuit deposition, a private message from Richer surfaced in which he told a friend he intended to “make life hell for Kari” during the 2024 election. Lake’s team claims this bias may have influenced the ballot-counting process, undermining trust in the results.
Despite the media declaring Gallego the winner, Lake has yet to concede. Instead, she has doubled down on her narrative of fighting against a biased system. In a Monday post on X, her campaign highlighted the obstacles she faced, stating:
“Outspent 4 to 1; Given 100% negative coverage by the propaganda press; Abandoned by Senate Leadership Fund; Explicitly targeted by the people tasked with counting your (and her) votes. Never stops fighting.”
This post encapsulates Lake’s ongoing defiance, which has been a hallmark of her political career. Her refusal to concede mirrors her 2022 gubernatorial campaign, where she similarly contested results and pointed to election integrity issues.
Lake’s continued fight highlights a broader challenge for the Republican Party as it navigates allegations of election misconduct and perceived media bias. While some GOP leaders focus on legislative priorities and building consensus, Lake represents a faction unwilling to let go of contentious election battles.
Her stance resonates with a significant portion of the Republican base, which remains skeptical of election processes in key battleground states. However, it also risks alienating moderate voters and detracting from the GOP’s broader legislative agenda.
The Arizona Senate race is unlikely to see a formal resolution in the immediate future, as Lake’s legal team reviews potential avenues for challenging the outcome. Whether through recounts, legal battles, or further ballot curing efforts, the campaign appears poised to fight until every possible option is exhausted.
Gallego, meanwhile, has already begun positioning himself as Arizona’s next senator. His victory speech emphasized unity and moving forward, a message that may face resistance in the face of Lake’s ongoing contestation.
For now, the Arizona race remains a microcosm of the larger political and legal battles that have come to define modern U.S. elections. As Lake’s fight continues, it underscores the tensions between electoral confidence and skepticism in America’s deeply divided political landscape.
Arizona obviously a piece of excrement state.
Why should she concede, the cheating is blatant. Just like when she ran for gov and the cunt that won was in charge of voting in Arizona. Now you have another “election official” that comb over gay commie richer in charge Fuck them all
Keep it up Keri, you were cheated out of the Governors race and it was blatantly exposed.
Now the Communist Democrats are at it again for the seat for Senator.
That illegal loving POS will allow Arizona to be taken over if you drop out and concede.
KARI-ZONA
CHALLENGE THE CHEATERS!
THE FARCE IS STRONG WITH THIS STATE.
Looks like Kari has had another election stolen. If you want in politics, get out of Arizona.
It would be great, if Lake makes it. As they say, “Hope Springs Eternal, As Long As There Is Breath!”
My friends in Maricopa County have seriously questioned election integrity there, and are sickened by the blatant corruption. Kari Lake isn’t wrong for keeping up the fight. Can you imagine if the major media outlets were NOT biased, and didn’t act like lapdogs for the democrats ? As it is, Republicans still garner nearly 50% of the votes with the all the cards stacked against them. Sadly, until we go back to paper ballots, many Americans simply have no trust that elections are secure.
WE ALL KNOW HOW AZ DEMS (WHO STOLE THEIR WAY IN) ARE WARPED WITH HATE FOR CONSERVATISM AND WILL DO ANY THING IT TAKES INCLUDING AND BEYOND CHEATING TO REMAIN IN POWER!
GO KARI-ZONA!
Election Fraud must not be allowed!