Independent Newsmedia
With Republican Kari Lake having seemed to beat, the general election contest most prognosticators expected between her and Democrat Ruben Gallego can get underway in earnest.
Lake declared victory on eleciton night after taking a large lead over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. While the results are still preliminary, Lake collected 352,370 votes, or 55.3% compared with Lamb's 251,044 or 39.4%.
Lake thanked followers on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that night, and pivoted to the general, speaking at a rally Wednesday in Glendale for Republican vice presidential candiate and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Gallego, meanwhile, had no competition in the primary, collecting 434,142 votes for the Democratic nomination. He pivoted to the general election Tuesday night as well.
Arizona's vote could decide control of the U.S. Senate. Cook Political Report rates the race as "lean Democrat" as of Aug. 1, but Democrats are defending a number of seats including those in Republican-dominant or toss-up states, including Michigan, Ohio, Nevada and Montana.
Current polls tracked by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ see Gallego polling better than Lake 47.1%-43% as of Aug. 1. The lead is based on 37 polls.