If you were watching the map on election night in November 2024, you probably felt that familiar Arizona vertigo. The desert state has a reputation for being "slow and steady" with its math, and this cycle was no different. While the presidential race seemed to tilt toward the red column relatively early, the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona results took a week of nail-biting updates to finally settle.
Ruben Gallego won.
It wasn't a blowout, but in a state as polarized as Arizona, a two-point win feels like a mile. Gallego, a Marine combat veteran and longtime Congressman, managed to hold off Kari Lake, the former news anchor who has become a fixture of the "MAGA" movement. By the time the Associated Press finally pulled the trigger and called the race on November 12, Gallego had secured roughly 50.1% of the vote compared to Lake’s 47.7%.
The Split-Ticket Mystery
The most fascinating thing about the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona results is the gap between the Senate race and the presidential race. Arizona voters are famously independent-minded, but the "split-ticket" phenomenon reached new heights this year.
Think about this: Donald Trump carried Arizona by over 5 points. He won comfortably. Yet, thousands of those same voters—people who checked the box for Trump—then moved their pens down the ballot and chose Ruben Gallego instead of Kari Lake.
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Why?
Honestly, it comes down to "brand." Gallego spent millions on ads that leaned into his biography as a Marine and a guy who grew up poor, raised by a single mom. He worked hard to look like a "normal" Democrat who cared about veterans and the middle class. Lake, on the other hand, struggled to shake the "election denier" label from her 2022 gubernatorial run. Even though she tried to moderate her tone during the home stretch, the data shows that "McCain Republicans"—the old-school, moderate wing of the Arizona GOP—just couldn't bring themselves to vote for her.
2024 United States Senate Election in Arizona Results: The Raw Numbers
If you’re a data nerd, the final tally is where the story lives. Arizona is a massive state, but the election is essentially won or lost in Maricopa County.
- Ruben Gallego (D): 1,676,335 votes (50.06%)
- Kari Lake (R): 1,595,761 votes (47.65%)
- Eduardo Quintana (Green): 75,868 votes (2.2%)
Gallego didn't just win; he became the first Latino Senator in Arizona's history. That’s a massive milestone for a state where the Latino population is both a cultural and political powerhouse. He outperformed Kamala Harris by a significant margin, particularly with Hispanic men. While Harris struggled to keep the traditional Democratic base together in the Southwest, Gallego’s "boots on the ground" style seemed to resonate with voters who were otherwise frustrated with the national party.
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Turning Points and the Abortion Factor
You can't talk about the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona results without talking about Proposition 139.
Arizona had a massive abortion rights initiative on the ballot. It passed overwhelmingly. This drew a lot of young people and suburban women to the polls who might have otherwise stayed home. Gallego leaned into this heavily. He framed himself as the protector of reproductive freedom, while Lake’s shifting positions on the issue—ranging from calling a 1864 near-total ban "great" to later saying it went too far—left many voters confused or distrustful.
Then there was the ghost of John McCain.
Lake had famously told "McCain Republicans" to "get the hell out" during her 2022 run. In politics, people have long memories. In a race decided by about 80,000 votes, those alienated moderates were the difference-makers. Gallego didn't have to win them over completely; he just had to be "acceptable" enough that they didn't feel the need to vote for Lake.
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Why the Count Took So Long
If you’re wondering why we were still waiting for results a week after the election, it's basically the "Greenway Drop." Arizona has a very high rate of mail-in voting. Under state law, officials have to verify every single signature on those envelopes.
When you have hundreds of thousands of people dropping off their mail ballots at polling places on Election Day, it creates a massive backlog. These "late early" ballots have to be processed from scratch. It’s a tedious, manual process that ensures accuracy but kills the "instant gratification" of election night.
What This Means for Arizona's Future
With Gallego heading to the Senate, he replaces Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat-turned-Independent who decided not to run for a second term. Sinema was a wildcard who often frustrated her own party. Gallego is expected to be a more reliable vote for the Democratic caucus, though he’s already signaled that he intends to keep that "Arizona Independent" streak alive on issues like border security and tribal water rights.
The GOP in Arizona is now at a crossroads. They've lost four consecutive Senate races (2018, 2020, 2022, and now 2024). There is already a lot of chatter among local consultants about whether the party needs to move away from the "firebrand" style of candidates and back toward the more traditional, business-oriented Republicans who used to dominate the state.
Moving Forward: What You Should Do
The dust has settled, but the impact of this race is just beginning. If you want to keep tabs on how this shift affects your life, here is how to stay engaged:
- Track the Committee Assignments: Watch which committees Gallego joins in 2025. If he lands on Veterans' Affairs or Armed Services, it’s a sign he’s sticking to his campaign promises regarding Arizona’s massive military presence.
- Monitor the 2026 Governor's Race: The "Lake vs. Gallego" dynamic proved that Arizona is still a purple state. Start looking at the moderate Republican names being floated for 2026; they will likely be the polar opposite of the 2024 ticket.
- Check the Voter Registration Trends: Arizona's "Independent" or "No Party Preference" (NPP) block is growing faster than either major party. If you live in AZ, consider how these non-affiliated voters are essentially the new "kingmakers" of the Southwest.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona results proved that while the national "red wave" was real, local identity and candidate quality still matter immensely. Arizona isn't just a "swing state" anymore—it’s a state where the individual candidate’s story can still beat the national trend.