PHOENIX — Arizona Senate candidates Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego faced off in their first and only debate this cycle as early voting started Wednesday, trading zingers on one another’s records.
“You’ve been to Mar-a-Lago more than you’ve been to the border,” Gallego said of Lake, who’s considered a close ally of former President Donald Trump. He also asked Lake if she accepted the results of her 2022 gubernatorial loss, which the Republican deflected to address the climate change question posed by the moderators.
Lake also called out Gallego’s shift to the center early on in the debate, and mentioning his previous co-chairmanship of the Progressive Caucus in the House.
“Tonight, we’re going to watch as somebody tries to reinvent himself,” she said of her opponent, who is no longer in the Progressive Caucus as he seeks office in the Senate. Lake also said “sold us out to Ukraine” with spending instead of focusing on the border.
Outside of these fiery exchanges, much of the debate highlighted border security and immigration — a top issue among voters in the Grand Canyon State.
“Murderers have come in, criminals have come in, and terrorists have come in,” Lake said, referring to a report from Immigration and Customs Enforcement that revealed 13,000 convicted murderers were released into the country after crossing the border. That number isn’t exclusive to those who entered under Biden’s administration, though the report does show a significant increase in the last four years.
Lake also expressed support for Trump’s plan to resume wall construction and the plan to deport those who have entered the country illegally under the Biden-Harris administration.
Gallego expressed his support for the congressional border bill touted by Democrats and a small number of Republicans, which he argued would have helped thwart fentanyl trafficking and improve some immigration laws.
“From day one, I’ve worked in a bipartisan manner when it comes to this,” he said, adding that he’s backed legislation to make it easier for veterans to become Border Patrol agents.
The candidates were also asked about abortion given that there is a separate proposition on the Arizona ballot that would put the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution.
“It’s going to be up to us, and we’re going to decide in November,” Lake said, adding that she does not support a federal abortion ban or taxpayer dollars going to the procedure. “It’s going to be up to us, and I want us to have that choice, and whatever choice that ends up being I will respect.”
“I would codify Roe,” Gallego said, echoing many national Democrats who hope to make abortion access federally protected after the Supreme Court sent the issue back to the states in 2022.
The economy was also a focal point of the debate — particularly Trump’s tax policies from 2017 that are set to expire in 2025. Lake said she supports extending the tax cuts on stage.
In the spin room after the debate, Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso said that Trump’s proposals to end taxes on tips and overtime pay would be some changes between the current law and a refreshed policy.
“We also need to bring in a child tax credit as part of that Trump tax cut,” the Democrat said while saying he has concerns about how the tax provisions would benefit the wealthy compared with the middle class.
The candidates are seeking the seat of outgoing Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in 2022 and said she would not run for re-election in March.
Gallego holds an average 7.8% polling lead, according to RealClearPolitics, and Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Lean Democratic.”
As expected, both campaigns took a victory lap after the night ended.
“Tonight you heard two very different versions for our future,” Gallego tweeted. “Kari will continue to divide our communities and spread dangerous lies just to gain power. I believe in a better way. People from every party, from all over Arizona, working for a better future — together.”
“Tonight’s debate was a clear victory for Kari Lake,” the Lake campaign said. “Kari was able to effectively expose Gallego’s decade-long radical record in Congress, and lay out her plan to solve the issues that he has caused. Ruben Gallego failed to defend his record or his flip-flops on the issues. We couldn’t be more proud of Arizona’s next Senator, Kari Lake.”