Trump ally Kari Lake narrows gap with opponent Gallego in Arizona state race, polls show

Arizona Republican Kari Lake has narrowed the gap with Democratic opponent Ruben Gallego as the state's Senate elections get closer, according to two new polls conducted at the end of August.

One of the surveys, published by CNN/SSRS among 682 likely voters, shows the Democratic lawmaker ahead by three percentage points, 47% to Lake's 44%. The other one, by InsiderAdvantage among 800 likely voters, shows a slightly larger gap, with Gallego taking 49% of the support compared to 45% for Lake.

Different polls conducted over the past weeks have shown widely varying results. A study from this week from Fox News shows Gallego with a resounding, 15-point lead, 56% to 41%. It was conducted with one Republican and one Democratic polling firm and had 1,014 respondents with a 3% margin of error. Another one from late August released by Emerson College, has Gallego with a seven-point lead, 49% to 42%.

Lake has rejected surveys showing her trailing her opponent, recently telling NewsNationthat she is actually ahead in her "internal polling."

"There were a couple of really bad outlier polls that were included and were just absolutely absurd, partisan polls. I know what my internal polling looks like," she said during a passage of the interview. She added that hers is the "third-best chance for a pickup seat in these closely contested races." "And I feel we're going to win this one."

As the race continues, Gallego has gotten significant backing as he seeks to maintain the lead. Concretely, the PAC affiliated with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, CHC BOLD PAC, is investing $1.1 million in ads targeting Latinas across the state. Titled "Las Jefas" (The bosses). It is the biggest spend in the group's history, according to NBC News.

"Raised by a single, working mother, Gallego knows who is boss in Arizona. Grandmothers, mothers, sisters. The bosses. And in the Senate he will fight for them," says a narrator in the ad.

Gallego also got a boost from an endorsement by the state's police association. In a letter published on X, the APA, described as the "largest police/public safety association i the state, representing thousands of active law enforcement officers, said Gallego "has continually fought for robust, increased funding for America's Law Enforcement."

"The APA doesn't take our endorsements lightly; we recognize the importance of having a U.S. Senator that can bring people together to improve society for all. We believe Congressman Gallego will be that U.S. Senator," he added.

Lake reacted to the news with a publication on X, saying that Gallego has "spent nearly a decade in DC undermining our law enforcement & making America less safe." "Our campaign has overwhelming support from Arizona Law Enforcement because they know that I want to help them in their mission to make America safe."