Lake blames Gallego for border problems and vows to protect abortion rights in Arizona Senate debate

PHOENIX — Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake repeatedly reminded viewers Wednesday of her three-decade career on television in Arizona, seeking to capitalize on the close connection she has built with voters and portraying Democrat Ruben Gallego as a liar in the only one to overcome the debate of the closely watched race.

Lake’s comfort and elegance in front of the camera contrasted with Gallego, a military veteran who occasionally stumbled over his words. The hour-long, at times caustic and personal forum highlighted major differences in the areas of immigration, border security, abortion and taxes.

“Arizona, it’s so good to be back with you, where our relationship began, right here at your home,” Lake said to open the debate.

She accused Gallego of undergoing an “extreme makeover” to downplay his progressive record in the U.S. House of Representatives and tried to link him to unrest at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Gallego called Lake a liar and pointed to her discredited claim that she won the 2022 gubernatorial race.

“She will do anything and say anything to gain power, including lying,” Gallego said.

Lake, who became a populist darling immediately after giving up her career as a local television news anchor, has tried to redefine herself since her defeat in 2022 but has struggled.

Gallego, who represents mostly Latino areas of Phoenix, has used his financial advantage over Lake to run ads highlighting his military service and high-profile personal history rather than his progressive record in the House.

The debate, broadcast live on most television networks across the state, offered Lake a chance to restart a race in which polls and observers suggest she is slightly behind. For Gallego, it was an opportunity to introduce himself to voters who don’t yet know him.

The first half of the debate was devoted to immigration and border security, the issues that Lake has made central to her campaign. She pointed to Gallego’s previous critical comments about a border wall, linked him to President Joe Biden’s border policies and said he supports “open borders” and has “voted against border security every step of the way.”

“Their voices at the border have strengthened the cartels,” she said, calling illegal border crossings an “invasion.”

Gallego demurred, saying borders are necessary and walls are an important part of security, but only if they are coupled with sufficient manpower and technology. He blamed Lake for opposing a bipartisan border security bill that Biden and key lawmakers agreed to, but which failed after former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to oppose it.

“They’ve been to Mar-a-Lago more than they’ve been to the border,” Gallego said, noting Lake’s frequent trips to Trump’s resort in South Florida.

Lake urged Gallego to support the deportation of all people living in the country illegally. He urged them to oppose the deportation of “Dreamers,” a group of immigrants brought to the country as children. They didn’t agree on that either.

The Arizona race is one of the few races that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are fighting an uphill battle to maintain their slim majority. The winner will replace independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but left the party after her relationship with the party base broke down.

Both candidates are working to win over a small portion of Republicans and conservative independents who are willing to split their votes between the parties. This group has been instrumental in the Democratic rise in Arizona, which has gone from a Republican stronghold to a battleground state over the last decade.

They have fought to focus voters on the issue most favorable to them. For Lake, that’s the limit.

For Gallego, it’s about abortion rights after a state Supreme Court ruling banned virtually all abortions until lawmakers pulled the ban back after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Lake has spoken positively about stricter limits.

“She said she was thrilled that Roe was overturned,” Gallego said. “So do we want politicians like Kari Lake to be involved in these very, very difficult decisions when they should really be left to the woman and the family?”

Lake said she would not vote for a federal abortion ban, citing a ballot measure that will go before Arizona voters next month.

“As Arizonans, we have a choice to decide our abortion law,” Lake said. “It’s up to us.”

Lake has been a steadfast supporter of Trump and his lie that he lost the 2020 election due to fraud. She has never admitted that she lost her own race for governor in 2022 and continued to fight the result in court even after her Senate campaign began. Separately, it has tried and failed to persuade courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, to ban the use of electronic voting machines.

She also highlighted Gallego’s divorce from Kate Gallego, who is now mayor of Phoenix, in 2016. Lake noted that the marriage ended weeks before the couple’s son was born and says Gallego left his wife when she was pregnant. Kate Gallego has supported her ex-husband and campaigned with him just last week.

“Look at his character and his background,” Lake said Wednesday.

Gallego, the son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, grew up in Chicago with a single mother and was eventually accepted to Harvard University. During his break from Harvard, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that suffered heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.

He repeatedly referred to his military service during the debate.