Ruben Gallego, Democratic Senate Candidate in Arizona, Raises $7.5 Million

Representative Ruben Gallego, the expected Democratic nominee for Senate in Arizona, raised $7.5 million in the first three months of the year, his campaign said on Tuesday, a significant sum for what is likely to be a competitive general election race in the battleground state.

The haul of campaign cash adds to a strong fund-raising cycle thus far for Mr. Gallego, a former Marine and progressive congressman whose candidacy will test how willing Arizonans are to elect a senator who is decidedly left of center. After decades of being a reliably Republican state, Arizona has elected a succession of Democrats to statewide office in recent years.

In November, Mr. Gallego, who has no major primary challengers, is likely to face Kari Lake, a former television anchor and close ally of former President Donald J. Trump. That contest will determine who will succeed Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who is not seeking re-election. Ms. Lake faces a primary challenger, Sheriff Mark Lamb of Pinal County, but leads him by a wide margin in polls.

So far, Mr. Gallego has raised more money than Ms. Lake, who has not yet released her most recent quarterly fund-raising numbers. Ms. Lake is a more recent entrant to the race than Mr. Gallego, who announced his run in January 2023. In the last quarter of 2023, his campaign raised $3.3 million, while hers netted $2.1 million.

Mr. Gallego’s most recent tally compares favorably with sums raised by Democratic incumbents such as Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio ($6.6 million in the last three months of 2023) and Senator Jon Tester of Montana ($5.5 million in the same period), though it is difficult to compare fund-raising numbers across states.

His funding edge, if it continues, could allow him to flood the airwaves