In Arizona, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is falling behind Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego by over ten points, according to a recent poll by HighGround Public Affairs.
Lake, a prominent advocate for former President Donald Trump and a 2022 gubernatorial candidate, has just recorded her lowest polling numbers since May. The race is to fill the seat of incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who was once a Democrat but is now an independent, and will not be running for re-election. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, holds the other Senate seat after winning a six-year term in 2022.
The poll indicates that 50% of likely voters favor Gallego, while Lake garners 39%. This 11-point lead mirrors Gallego’s strongest results from a May YouGov/CBS News poll that showed him ahead 49% to 36%.
Scott Olson
Since May, most polls have indicated a consistent lead for Gallego. The only exception was a poll commissioned by Lake’s campaign, which briefly showed her up by 1% in early July.
Lake has been vocal about endorsing Trump’s unfounded claims regarding the 2020 election results, and she has questioned the legitimacy of her own 2022 loss to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs.
In a recent move, Gallego revealed a coalition of 40 Republican and independent leaders in Arizona are backing his campaign. This group includes a mix of current and former officials, industry professionals, and community leaders.
“As a lifelong Republican, I cannot stand by while extremists like Kari Lake undermine what makes America great,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles in a statement.
The stakes in Arizona are high for the upcoming November elections, which will impact both the presidential race and the tight grip Democrats have on the Senate.
Additionally, the poll illustrated Vice President Kamala Harris leading Trump by a slight margin of 2.8 points, with 44.4% favoring her and 41.6% leaning toward Trump.
Although President Biden narrowly claimed Arizona in the 2020 election, early summer polls suggested he would lose to Trump, prompting Biden to withdraw from the race and support Harris on July 21.
The HighGround poll surveyed 500 likely voters in Arizona from July 31 to August 3, with a margin of error of 4.38%.