Kari Lake, the former gubernatorial candidate, has emerged as the preferred choice for U.S. Senate among a plurality of Arizona Republicans, with a 31-point lead over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb in a recent poll. The data also showed Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) winning a three-way contest between Lamb and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ).
Lake was the first choice of 42 percent of Arizona Republicans, according to a recent Emerson College Polling survey. Pollsters found just 11 percent of respondents preferred Lamb. An additional 7 percent of Republicans support former Senate candidate Blake Masters, 2 percent support businessman Jim Lamon, and 2 percent support Brian Wright.
Lake said she is considering a run for U.S. Senate earlier this year, and a spokesperson told The Arizona Sun Times, “Arizona loves Kari Lake. America loves Kari Lake. If she decides to jump into the senate race, she will win.”
In a three-way election, Gallego would receive 36 percent of the vote, Lamb would place second with a distant 29 percent, and incumbent Sinema, who changed her party affiliation last year but continues to caucus with Democrats and accept Democratic committee assignments, would receive just 21 percent of the vote, while 15 percent of voters remain undecided. Without Sinema in the race, Gallego and Lamb would tie, each with 42 percent of the vote, though 16 percent of voters remain undecided.
Gallego remains the best-funded candidate in the race, having raised $3.1 million last quarter, and nearly $7 million since declaring his candidacy earlier this year. Lamb, by contrast, raised $608,000 during his first three months as a candidate.
Meanwhile, Lake’s Save Arizona Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, reportedly raised over $2.5 million as she contested the 2022 election results, potentially underscoring her fundraising capabilities as a candidate.
The survey of 1,337 Arizona voters was conducted between August 2 and August 4, and Emerson College Polling reported a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
Pollsters also found that 58 percent of Arizona Republicans support former President Donald Trump in his bid for the Republican nomination for president. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the only other Republican candidate to reach double-digit levels of support, with 11 percent of voters preferring him.
Behind Trump and DeSantis are former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 6 percent, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 4 percent, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), former vice president Mike Pence, and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley at 3 percent, respectively.
The poll also showed Trump would win Arizona against President Joe Biden in a 2024 rematch, capturing 45 percent of the vote compared to Biden’s 43 percent. Should Green Party candidate Cornel West gain ballot access in Arizona, which no longer recognizes the Green Party, Trump would win with 42 percent of the vote compared to Biden’s 41 percent. West would receive 4 percent of the vote.
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Tom Pappert is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Tom on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kari Lake” by Kari Lake.Â
