Ruben Gallego Expands Lead Over Kari Lake Heading Into Debate Before Arizona Senate Elections

The two main contenders for the Senate seat up for grabs in Arizona, Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, will face off in a debate on Wednesday.

Organized by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission, it will be perhaps the last chance for candidates to make a large impact on voters with the elections less than a month away.

Consequently, the stakes will seemingly be higher for Lake, considering she is trailing in all polls, with many showing her behind by more than 10 percentage points.

The latest survey, which was sponsored by the Republican Party, is among them. Conducted by SoCal Strategies, On Point Politics and Red Eagle Politics between October 5 and 7 among 735 likely voters, it shows Gallego with 51% of the support, compared to Lake's 39%.

The previous poll, carried out by RMG Research and the Napolitan Institute among 783 likely voters between September 30 and October 2, also features a double-digit margin: Gallego's 52% to Lake's 42%.

The smallest gap so far this month can be seen when Green Party Candidate Eduardo Quintana joins the race. Even though he only got 1% of the support in a Redfield & Wilton Strategies and The Telegraph poll, the study features a six-point gap between the two main candidates, with Gallego getting 48% to Lake's 42%.

The Democrat called to tune in on the debate in a post on his X account: "You'll see the clear choice in this race between someone who served our country and will always put Arizona first vs. Kari Lake, who will do or say anything to get power, even if it hurts Arizonans," he said.

Lake, on her end, said the event will be a "between my common-sense solutions & his radicalism. His America Last record & my promise to put America First."

Gallego announced last week that he raised almost $22 million in the third quarter of fundraising, with donations of $100 or less representing 95% of the amount.

The concrete figure is over $21.7 million raised between July and September, and 271,000 contributors during the period. Kari Lake has not disclosed her fundraising figures but her campaign has until October 15 to do so.

"Arizonans know we need Ruben Gallego in the U.S. Senate, which is why over 437,000 small-dollar donors have chipped in to support the campaign," Gallego campaign manager Nichole Johnson said in a press release accompanying the figure. "Because of their generous support, we are going to defeat Kari Lake and send a Marine combat veteran with a lifetime of service to the Senate."