Arizona, a key southwestern general election battleground state, will hold its primary elections on Tuesday, setting the stage for potentially decisive races in the House and Senate. The contest attracting the most national attention is the race to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat-turned-independent who is not seeking re-election. Kari Lake, a former TV anchor and prominent MAGA supporter who narrowly lost the 2022 gubernatorial election, is the front-runner for the Republican Senate nomination, enjoying the backing of former President Trump. Lake, a top surrogate for Trump’s presidential bid, also boasts a significant fundraising advantage over her GOP primary rivals, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Reye.
Meanwhile, Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, who launched his Senate campaign last year, is unopposed in Tuesday’s primary. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, but Republicans are targeting several key races, including those in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where Democrats are defending seats.
In the race for the House, the GOP holds a fragile majority. Democrats in Arizona are targeting two vulnerable Republican incumbents, Rep. David Schweikert in the 1st Congressional District and Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the southeastern part of the state. Schweikert faces a primary challenge from businessman Robert Backie and former FBI agent and corporate investigator Kim George, while Ciscomani is running for a second term against challenger Kathleen Winn. If Ciscomani wins the primary, as expected, he will face Democrat Kisten Engel in a rematch of their close 2022 election showdown.
In the red-leaning 8th Congressional District, Trump has endorsed both major Republican primary candidates, Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh, who were unsuccessful in their 2022 bids for the U.S. Senate and state attorney general, respectively.
The Arizona primaries will be a crucial indicator of the political landscape heading into the November general elections, potentially shaping the control of both the House and Senate. These races will be closely watched as they could determine the direction of American politics in the coming years.
