Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake has surged in two different polls at the home stretch of the Arizona race for the state's Upper House seat, all but erasing the lead from Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.
The latest survey published, conducted by AtlasIntel between October 25 and 29 among 1,458 likely voters, shows both candidates tied with 48% of the support. Another one by Data Orbital among 550 likely voters between October 26 and 28 features a tie at 45%.
It is a large departure from most polls throughout the race, which showed Gallego comfortably ahead. In fact, another one by RABA Research among 589 registered voters shows Gallego with a 15-point lead, getting 49% of the support compared to Lake's 34%.
Previous ones from the second and third week of October also show the Democrat ahead by margins ranging between four and 15 percentage points.
Lake and Gallego have been trading barbs during the home stretch of the campaign, going into topics both political and personal. The latest episode took place earlier this month when Gallego demanded an apology from his opponent for playing a role in the unsealing of his divorce records.
"We demand an apology from Kari Lake for lying about our family and the circumstances of our divorce," said Ruben and Kate Gallego, the mayor of Phoenix, in a joint statement. "She will stop at nothing to score a cheap political point — even if it means endangering the privacy and well-being of our young son. We have long put our child before all else and will continue to do so."
Lake had pressed for the unsealing of the records, telling KTAR-FM that she hoped "e everybody who says they're going to vote for him will hold off until we get the details about why he ran off on his wife when she was nine-months pregnant."
The records, from 2016, show that Democrat Ruben Gallego filed for divorce from Kate Gallego ahead of the birth of their son, stating that their marriage was "irretrievably broken," a commonplace legal term in Arizona. They largely determine how the two intended to co-parent their son.
Both candidates also faced off in a debate earlier this month, exchanging accusations and highlighting their differing positions.
Lake launched a barrage of accusations against Gallego, claiming he underwent "an extreme makeover" by shifting from a progressive stance in the House to a more moderate position aimed at attracting a broader voter base, including Republicans. She particularly criticized him on immigration, alleging he was too lenient on border security. "Ruben Gallego has supported—every step of the way—Kamala Harris, the border czar, and Joe Biden's open border," Lake said during a passage of the debate.
Gallego defended his record, highlighting his support for increasing border agents in Arizona. He countered Lake's criticisms by accusing her of prioritizing political maneuvering over bipartisan border solutions. "You've been to Mar-a-Lago more than you have been to the border," he retorted.
As in-person voting continues, Trump has urged Arizonans to back Lake in the Senate race. Lake has been vocal in her support of Trump's false claims about the 2020 election and faced internal challenges within her party during her unsuccessful gubernatorial run. Currently, she trails Gallego in both polls and fundraising efforts.
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