Current:Home > FinanceLake blames Gallego for border woes, he vows to protect abortion rights in Arizona Senate debate-InfoLens
Lake blames Gallego for border woes, he vows to protect abortion rights in Arizona Senate debate
View Date:2024-12-23 16:25:59
PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake repeatedly reminded viewers Wednesday of her three-decade career on Arizona television, looking to harness the intimate connection she built with voters and overcome Democrat Ruben Gallego’s portrayal of her as a liar in the only debate of the closely watched race.
Lake’s comfort and polish in front of the camera stood in contrast to Gallego, a military veteran who occasionally tripped on his words. The hourlong forum, at times caustic and personal, highlighted big differences on immigration, border security, abortion and taxes.
“Arizona, it’s so good to be back with you, where our relationship began, right here in your home,” Lake said to start the debate.
She accused Gallego of undergoing an “extreme makeover” to downplay his progressive record in the U.S. House and sought to tie him to disorder on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Gallego called Lake a liar, pointing to her discredited claim that she won the 2022 race for governor.
“She will do anything and say anything to gain power, including lying,” Gallego said.
Lake, who became a darling of the populist right after leaving her career as a local television news anchor, has tried but struggled to redefine herself since losing in 2022.
Gallego, who represents largely Latino areas of Phoenix, has used his financial advantage over Lake to run ads playing up his military service and up-by-the-bootstraps personal story rather than his progressive record in the House.
The debate, which aired live on most television stations across the state, presented Lake with a chance to reset a race where polls and observers suggest she’s modestly trailing. For Gallego, it was an opportunity to introduce himself to the voters who still don’t know him.
The first half of the debate was devoted to immigration and border security, the issues Lake has put at the center of her pitch to voters. She pointed to Gallego’s prior comments critical of a border wall, tied him to President Joe Biden’s border policies and said he supports “open borders” and “voted against border security every step of the way.”
“Your votes on the border have empowered the cartels,” she said, calling illegal border crossings an “invasion.”
Gallego pushed back, saying borders are necessary and walls are an important part of security, but only if coupled with sufficient manpower and technology. He faulted Lake for opposing a bipartisan border security bill agreed to by Biden and key lawmakers, which died after former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to oppose it.
“You’ve been to Mar-a-Lago more than you’ve been to the border,” Gallego said, calling attention to Lake’s frequent trips to Trump’s resort in south Florida.
Lake pushed Gallego to support deporting everyone living in the country illegally. He pushed her to oppose deporting “dreamers,” a group of immigrants brought to the country as children. They did not agree on either.
The Arizona race is one of a handful that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, where Democrats are fighting an uphill battle to retain 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’s base ruptured.
Both candidates are working to win over a small share of Republicans and conservative independents who are open to splitting their vote between the parties. This group has been instrumental in the rise of Democrats in Arizona, which has transitioned from a Republican stronghold to a battleground state over the past decade.
What to know about the 2024 Election
- Today’s news: Follow live updates from the campaign trail from the AP.
- Ground Game: Sign up for AP’s weekly politics newsletter to get it in your inbox every Monday.
- AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
They have fought to focus voters on the issue most favorable to them. For Lake, that’s the border.
For Gallego, it’s abortion rights after a state Supreme Court ruling outlawed virtually all abortions until the Legislature rolled the ban back to after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Lake has spoken favorably of stricter limits.
“She said she was thrilled that Roe was overturned,” Gallego said. “And so, do we want politicians like Kari Lake to be involved in these very, very difficult decisions when they should be left to the woman and the family?”
Lake said she would not vote for a federal abortion ban and pointed to a ballot measure that will be presented to Arizona voters next month.
“We have the choice as Arizonans to decide what our abortion law will be,” Lake said. “It’s going to be up to us.”
Lake is an unflinching supporter of Trump and his lie that he lost the 2020 election because of fraud. She has never conceded she lost her own 2022 race for governor, and continued to fight the outcome in court even after launching her Senate campaign. Separately, she’s tried and failed to persuade courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, to outlaw the use of electronic voting machines.
She’s also highlighted Gallego’s 2016 divorce from Kate Gallego, who is now the mayor of Phoenix. Noting the marriage ended weeks before the couple’s son was born, Lake says Gallego abandoned his wife while she was pregnant. Kate Gallego has endorsed her ex-husband and campaigned with him as recently as last week.
“Look at his character and his background,” Lake said Wednesday.
The son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, Gallego was raised in Chicago by a single mother and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve while he was on a break from Harvard. He fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.
He pointed repeatedly to his military service during the debate.
veryGood! (94448)
Related
- College Football Playoff bracket: Complete playoff picture after latest rankings
- Kendall Jenner Explains What Led to Corey Gamble Feud
- North Carolina’s governor vetoes bill that would take away his control over election boards
- Powerball jackpot at $850 million for Sept. 27 drawing. See Wednesday's winning numbers.
- Harriet Tubman posthumously named a general in Veterans Day ceremony
- Horoscopes Today, September 28, 2023
- At least 20 dead in gas station explosion in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region as residents flee to Armenia
- Police: Ghost guns and 3D printers for making them found at New York City day care
- Prosecutors say some erroneous evidence was given jurors at ex-Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial
- 'Candelaria': Melissa Lozada-Oliva tackles cannibalism and yoga wellness cults in new novel
Ranking
- 32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
- Stock market today: Asian shares fall over China worries, Seoul trading closed for a holiday
- 'Never be the same': Maui fire victims seek answers, accountability at Washington hearing
- Remains found in 1996 identified after New Hampshire officials use modern DNA testing tech
- 'Heretic' spoilers! Hugh Grant spills on his horror villain's fears and fate
- Heist of $1.5 Million Buddha Statue Leads to Arrest in Los Angeles
- UK police are investigating the ‘deliberate felling’ of a famous tree at Hadrian’s Wall
- After Malaysia bans his book, author says his depiction of Indonesian maid was misunderstood
Recommendation
-
Caitlin Clark has one goal for her LPGA pro-am debut: Don't hit anyone with a golf ball
-
Pregnant Kourtney Kardashian's Second Sustainable Boohoo Collection Is Here!
-
Famous 'Sycamore Gap tree' found cut down overnight; teen arrested
-
South Carolina mechanics discover giant boa constrictor in car engine and are working to find it a home
-
NBA today: Injuries pile up, Mavericks are on a skid, Nuggets return to form
-
Hollywood actors to resume negotiations with studios next week as writers strike ends
-
FDA panel overwhelmingly votes against experimental ALS treatment pushed by patients
-
Latest fight in the Alex Murdaugh case is over who controls the convicted murderer’s assets