Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Republican candidate Kari Lake faced off in their only debate in the Arizona Senate race on Wednesday, as the two contenders frequently traded barbs.
Gallego and Lake, who are vying for retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) seat, participated in a debate hosted by Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission and Arizona Media Association. While immigration and the border were a clear focus, the two offered their takes on other key issues like the economy, inflation and abortion.
The debate comes at a pivotal time for both candidates less than a month out from Election Day, as Arizona will play a key role in who takes control of the White House and Senate majority.
Though an aggregate of Arizona surveys compiled by Decision Desk HQ shows a tighter race at the presidential level — with Trump at 49 percent while Harris is at 48 percent — DDHQ’s aggregate of Arizona Senate polls shows Gallego enjoying a wider lead against Lake, 50 percent to 42 percent.
Here are five takeaways from the Arizona Senate debate:
The debate grew personal quickly as both candidates lobbed attacks at each other within the first few minutes.
Gallego in his opening remarks mentioned his biography serving in Iraq, saying he learned “that in war, there are no Democrats, no Republicans — just young men and women trying to live one more day and be better Americans,” before moments later attacking Lake.
“By contrast, we're going to see and talk to somebody who has really failed the basic test of honesty. She has lied to Arizonans about the 2022 election. She has said that she still is the rightful governor of Arizona,” Gallego said, referring to Lake’s refusal to concede her 2022 loss when she ran for Arizona governor.
Lake used her opening statement to go after Gallego, too, accusing him of having “undergone an extreme makeover” politically.
“We’re going to watch as somebody tries to reinvent himself, somebody who used to be a member of the Progressive Caucus, somebody who has destroyed the very congressional district that he has served for the past 10 years where homelessness is on the rise,” Lake said, noting Gallego’s past membership with the House Progressive Caucus.
Immigration was a clear focus of the night, with roughly 20 minutes of the debate delving into related issues.
Lake attacked Gallego over the topic, referencing remarks he made in 2017, for example, in which he called Trump’s border wall “stupid” and “dumb.” She also sought to tie Gallego to President Biden and Vice President Harris over the issue, while aligning herself closely to Trump.
“We need somebody who understands the threat on the border, and I do, and President Trump does, and on day one we're going to get busy undoing the damage caused by Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Ruben Gallego, who’s voted with them 100 percent of the time,” Lake said.
Meanwhile, Gallego sought to position himself as a problem solver, saying he had championed efforts in Congress to tackle the issue while criticizing Lake for opposing the bipartisan border bill.
He also notably pressed Lake several times on whether she was in favor of deporting “Dreamers,” people who arrived into the country undocumented as children and who have since lived in the U.S.
“Will you deport Dreamers? Just be honest — yes or no,” Gallego pressed Lake, who replied, “No.”
“President Trump wanted to make a deal when it came to Dreamers. You said no,” she said. “Unfortunately, the radical Democrats, like my opponent, would rather use people as political pawns. I want to secure the border.”
Lake sought to tie Gallego to Biden and Harris, saying he had voted with the current administration 100 percent of the time. Harris and Trump are largely polling neck and neck in the state.
“He's voted with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Arizona, you gotta know this,” Lake said.
“He's voted with Kamala Harris and Joe Biden 100 percent of the time. He wants to act like he's bipartisan. He was the leader of the Progressive Caucus.”
Gallego has been pressed about his more moderate political stance in the Senate race, given he’s previously touted himself as a progressive and was a member of the House Progressive Caucus.
The Arizona Democrat explained to NBC News in April that he had let his caucus membership expire because they “actually increased their dues tremendously, and that comes out of my staff pay, and so, you know, we have to make decisions,” while also acknowledging the political terrain of his state.
Meanwhile, Gallego largely made no mention of Harris during his remarks and occasionally brought up Trump. Instead, Gallego leaned on his experience in Congress while making his case to voters.
“We've passed legislation that mandates that our government negotiates the prices of prescription drugs. We've capped insulin at $35. Next year's seniors, they're going to have their prescription drugs capped at a total of $2,000,” Gallego said at one point in a response about how he would make life more affordable.
Gallego used the debate to take jabs at Lake over her previous remarks on past election results and her stance on abortion. Lake gained national attention for disputing the 2020 election results while running for Arizona governor in 2022. Lake has refused to concede her 2022 loss.
Gallego mentioned at one point that Lake was “in denial” about climate change, adding later she was also in denial about the 2022 election.
“Now I give you one minute. Will you finally tell the people of Arizona, did you win or lose that election?” Gallego asked Lake.
“Can I talk about water really quickly?” she responded, during a portion of the debate that centered on energy and water supply.
The Arizona congressman also attacked Lake for previously praising a 1864 law that has since been repealed that would have jailed doctors who performed abortions.
“Do we want politicians like Kari Lake to be involved in these very, very difficult decisions when they should be left to the woman, the doctor and the family?” Gallego said.
Lake maintained that abortion access should be left to the states and said she would not support federal legislation limiting abortion access. She suggested women were having abortions because they couldn’t financially shoulder the costs of having children.
“I don't want any woman out there to make that choice because she can't afford to live because of the votes that people like Ruben Gallego have made that have made our economy practically collapse,” she said. “It's on life support right now. So I want to go to the U.S. Senate and pass the most pro-family legislation.”
The debate offered Arizona voters a rare opportunity to see both candidates on the stage as they sought to offer contrasting visions of their campaigns.
The debate between Gallego and Lake was a departure from 2022, when Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) declined opportunities to debate Lake during the Arizona governor’s race, though Hobbs narrowly prevailed in that election.
The debate also coincided with the start of early voting in Arizona, as ballots began to be mailed out on Wednesday.
Overall, Wednesday night’s event was perhaps Lake and Gallego’s last opportunity to make their pitch to voters, with less than 30 days until Election Day.
