Kari Lake wins Arizona GOP Senate primary, setting up a key race against Democrat Ruben Gallego

PHOENIX — Kari Lake won the Republican Senate primary in Arizona, NBC News projects, officially setting up a critical matchup against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.

Lake, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, was running ahead of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb 54% to 40% with roughly 82% of the expected vote in. Former news anchor Elizabeth Reye placed a distant third.

Lake advances to the general election for the seat being vacated by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema against Gallego, a Phoenix-area House member and Marine veteran who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. The race in battleground Arizona will be among a handful that determine partisan control of the Senate this fall.

"This is not a battle between Democrats and Republicans. This is a battle between good and evil," Lake said at her election night event. "This is a battle between the people who want to destroy this country and the people who want to save America."

Lake, 54, a former newscaster, first emerged on the political scene during her unsuccessful run for governor in 2022 as a prominent promoter of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. She later refused to accept her own loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs, who is now Arizona’s governor.

Lake has heavily touted Trump’s endorsement again during her Senate campaign. She arrived at her polling location in Paradise Valley earlier Tuesday in a new tour bus that featured a giant decal of her with Trump and the words “Endorsed by President Trump.”

“Knowing that I’m Trump-endorsed is important to a lot of people here in Arizona,” Lake said.

Lake’s challenge will now take her MAGA-themed message to a broader electorate in a critical swing state for both the race for the White House