PHOENIX (AP) — Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from further padding their Senate majority.
Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes for the Senate in a state that was reliably Republican until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona voters had rejected Trump-endorsed candidates in every election since, but the president-elect won Arizona this year over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Gracias, Arizona!” Gallego wrote on the social platform X.
With Gallego’s win, the GOP will have 53 seats in the 100-member Senate.
Gallego is a five-term House member and an Iraq War veteran with an up-by-the-bootstraps life story that he featured prominently in his public appearances and ads. He will replace Kyrsten Sinema, whose 2018 victory as a Democrat created a formula that the party has successfully replicated ever since.
Sinema left the Democratic Party two years ago after she antagonized the party’s left wing. She considered running for a second term as an independent but bowed out when it was clear she had no clear path to victory.
“Yes, he could!” several Gallego supporters shouted in Spanish as he offered his first comments after the race was called.
“I will fight for Arizona in Washington,” Gallego told the cheering supporters, saying that he would fight as much for the people who did not vote for him as the ones who did.
In his brief remarks, Gallego several times mentioned the single mother who raised him, crediting her with his success. He promised to work to fix what he said was the nation’s broken immigration system, and would continue to fight for veterans and for women’s reproductive rights.
The Associated Press left a voicemail and email message seeking comment from Lake’s campaign Monday night.
With Gallego's win, there was only one more major race left uncalled in Arizona. The race between Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Democrat Kirsten Engel for the 6th Congressional District remained too early to call.
Gallego ran ahead of Harris, suggesting a substantial number of voters supported Trump at the top of the ticket and the Democrat for Senate, a pattern seen in Sinema’s victory and both of Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s wins in 2020 and 2022. Ticket-splitters also were decisive in the Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada Senate races this year, which Democrats won even as Trump won their states.
AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 4,000 voters in Arizona, shows Gallego did better than Harris with several key voting groups, while Lake did worse than Trump with those same groups.
Gallego won Hispanic men against Lake, even though Harris and Trump split them in Arizona, according to AP VoteCast. Young men were evenly divided between Gallego and Lake, even as they broke for Trump in the presidential race. And Gallego also captured a majority of non-white men with a college degree – a small share of the Arizona electorate – but they were about evenly split between Harris and Trump for president.
Meanwhile, Gallego benefitted from the support of some Republicans and Trump supporters in the state, while Lake had less crossover support from Harris backers. AP VoteCast shows that about 1 in 10 Trump voters split their ticket to vote for Gallego, while very few Harris voters also chose Lake. Only about 8 in 10 Arizona Republicans voted for the combination of Trump and Lake, whereas about 9 in 10 Arizona Democrats voted for Harris and Gallego.
Lake was viewed more unfavorably than Gallego. About half of Arizona voters had a very or somewhat unfavorable opinion of her, while about 4 in 10 had an unfavorable view of Gallego.
And while Arizona voters were about equally likely to say they were concerned that Trump and Harris’ views were too extreme, voters were much less likely to say they were “very concerned” that Gallego's views were too extreme compared to Lake.
The son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, Gallego was raised in Chicago and eventually accepted to Harvard University. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend.
Gallego maintained a significant fundraising advantage throughout the race. He relentlessly attacked Lake’s support for a state law dating to the Civil War that outlawed abortions under nearly all circumstances. Lake tacked to the middle on the issue, infuriating some of her allies on the right by opposing a federal abortion ban.
Gallego portrayed Lake as a liar who will do and say anything to gain power. He downplayed his progressive voting record in Congress and leaned on his personal story and his military service to build an image as a pragmatic moderate.
Lake is a well-known former television news anchor who became a star on the populist right with her 2022 campaign for Arizona governor.
She has never acknowledged losing that race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book. She continued her unsuccessful fight in court to overturn it even after beginning her Senate campaign.
Her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that consecutive elections were stolen from Trump and from her endeared her to the former president, who considered her for his vice presidential running mate. But it compounded her struggles with the moderate Republicans she alienated during her 2022 campaign, when she disparaged the late Sen. John McCain and then-Gov. Doug Ducey.
She tried to moderate but struggled to keep a consistent message on thorny topics, including election fraud and abortion.
Lake focused instead on border security, a potent issue for Republicans in a border state that saw record border crossings during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. She promised a tough crackdown on illegal immigration and labeled Gallego a supporter of “open borders.” She also went after his personal life, pointing to his divorce from Kate Gallego shortly before she gave birth. His ex-wife, now the mayor of Phoenix, endorsed Gallego and has campaigned with him.
Associated Press writer Linley Sanders contributed from Washington.
Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Kari Lake speaks to the media before voting, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Arizona Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., speaks during a watch party on election night Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
President Joe Biden welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House on Wednesday for an Oval Office visit that's a traditional part of the peaceful handoff of power — a ritual Trump himself declined to participate in four years ago.
Meanwhile, House control remains in the balance with a dozen races left to be called.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest:
Republican Scott Baugh has conceded in his race against Democrat Dave Min in a Southern California U.S. House district, ending his bid to seize the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter.
The Associated Press has not yet declared a winner because thousands of ballots have not yet been counted.
In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday night, Baugh said “despite running a strong campaign … that effort is going to come up a little short.”
The 47th District in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, was a top target for national Republicans looking to protect and possibly expand the party’s narrow majority in the chamber.
▶ Read more about the House race in California
Republicans have elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader, completing a momentous shift in their leadership that elevates a top deputy of Sen. Mitch McConnell into a key position as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Thune, who’s 63 and in his fourth Senate term, has promised to work closely with Trump despite differences the two have had over the years. Thune will be a crucial part of the incoming president’s efforts to push through his policy agenda.
He beat out two other competitors, Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida, by gaining majority support from GOP senators in a secret ballot vote.
Republicans are replacing Kentucky’s McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader, as they prepare to take majority control with the 53 seats they won in last week’s elections.
▶ Read more about Senate Republicans
At the White House, they sat in matching yellow chairs in front of a roaring fireplace.
Biden told Trump his team will “do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated” and has everything he needs.
“Congratulations and I look forward to having a smooth transition,” Biden said.
Trump responded by saying, “Politics is tough and it’s, uh, in many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth it’ll be as smooth as it can get. And I very much appreciate that, Joe.”
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles are attending the meeting.
“He got three standing ovations,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said of Musk.
“Out of everybody, Elon Musk is who (Trump) gave the biggest support for,” Norman said.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., described Musk as “such a presence” during the meeting and drew a large crowd of lawmakers around him, though he didn’t get to speak to him personally.
“He’s a bright light in any room he’s in,” Higgins said
First lady Jill Biden joined President Joe Biden to greet the president-elect when he arrived at the White House.
The White House says the first lady also gave Trump a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, Melania, the incoming first lady.
Melania Trump did not go to the White House with her husband for the traditional meeting with the outgoing first lady.
In her letter, Jill Biden expressed her team’s readiness to assist Melania Trump with the transition, the White House said.
The fundraising email said “President Trump is inside the White House right now conducting a very important meeting” and directed supporters to fill out an online poll about what his priority should be.
Trump’s fundraising operation has often timed his messages so they’re sent out notifying his supporters as he’s appearing on stage or — during his legal challenges — appearing in court.
Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas wore his “Make America Great Again” tie with matching Trump gold sneakers. After Trump’s speech, Nehls told reporters it was electric inside the room and the party must put aside the chaos of the last few years and unify behind the president-elect.
“If Donald Trump says, ‘jump three feet high and scratch your head,’ we all jump three feet high and scratch our head,” Nehls said.
President-elect Donald Trump is bringing four advisers from his presidential campaign into his new White House as deputy chiefs of staff, including two longtime aides and the political director who played a key role in his victory.
Trump announced Wednesday that longtime aide Dan Scavino will serve as a deputy without giving a specific portfolio; campaign political director James Blair as deputy for legislative, political and public affairs; and Taylor Budowich as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All will have the rank of assistant to the president.
Trump also formally announced Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, will be deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser. That had previously been confirmed by Vice President-elect JD Vance on Monday.
Speaker Mike Johnson is beginning the hard fight for his gavel, a weeks-long campaign that starts Wednesday during internal House Republican leadership elections and will establish the new power centers in Congress for a Washington dominated by President-elect Donald Trump.
While Johnson has no serious challenger, he faces dissent within his ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives and the Freedom Caucus withholding their votes as leverage to extract promises ahead.
The speaker won a welcome endorsement early Wednesday from Trump, who told House Republicans in a morning meeting near the Capitol he was with Johnson all the way, according to a person familiar with the private remarks and unauthorized to publicly discuss them.
The visit was Trump’s first back to Washington after winning the 2024 election and Johnson heaped praise on the president-elect, calling him the “comeback king.”
▶ Read more about House Republicans
Biden congratulated Trump. Trump said “politics is tough” and not always a nice world “but it is a nice world today.”
Reporters were quickly ushered out of the room.
Trump arrived a little behind schedule for the meeting with President Joe Biden.
It was scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.
As Trump was appearing on Capitol Hill, Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted educators at the White House to talk about the administration’s work to promote community colleges.
Jill Biden has taught English and writing at community colleges for many years.
At one point she noted that the semester is ending soon and her students are working on their final assignments. Then she said, “Joe and I are also preparing for what’s coming next.”
Biden then made the sign of the cross over himself and smiled. The audience laughed.
Musk, who’s been a fixture of late with Trump, arrived at the GOP conference in Washington just as Trump was coming in to address leaders.
On Tuesday night, Trump said Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would run a panel focused on government efficiency that would be outside government but advise the White House. It’s not entirely clear how the operation will work.
“We won it every way, all seven swing states by a lot,” he said, speaking to GOP leaders in Washington.
Trump commented on the results in Democratic strongholds like New Jersey and California, declaring that winning in the latter state would be “very doable. It would be really doable if they change the election process.”
Trump is speaking to GOP leaders in Washington for the first time since he won the 2024 presidential election.
“It’s always nice to win,” Trump said.
Trump won 312 electoral votes to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 226.
Trump got a standing ovation from House GOP leaders gathered for a conference at a Washington hotel Wednesday morning.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said: “Ladies and gentlemen please stand for the 47th President of the United States.”
Rubio, when asked about it Wednesday, told reporters “those are media reports” and said any news would come from Trump’s transition team.
The Republican Florida senator is a former critic of Trump who’s become one of his fiercest defenders and appeared with him on the campaign trail in the final weeks.
As House Republicans are meeting, two members of Congress trying to come to agreement on border and immigration policy are being honored for their efforts.
Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York and Republican Congressman Morgan Luttrell of Texas began their effort in July.
They were honored Wednesday in Washington by the National Immigration Forum, an organization that promotes the value of immigration in America.
The president-elect walked slowly down the airplane stairs at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, greeted his military greeter and got into the motorcade for the trip to Capitol Hill.
He did not speak with reporters who were there to document his arrival in Washington.
It’s meant to reassure investors in his publicly traded company, Tesla.
The billionaire, in a post on X on Wednesday, shared a message from a shareholder in his company noting that his appointment running a new “Department of Government Efficiency” for President-elect Donald Trump will provide advice and guidance to the new president from outside of government and is limited to 21 months, ending on July 4, 2026.
Musk shared the post with the message: “Important details”
“Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success,” Melania Trump’s office said.
No reason was given for why she didn’t accept the invitation.
The Bidens had extended congratulations and a joint invite to the Trumps to meet at the White House. The spouses typically meet upstairs in the residence while the president and president-elect meet in the Oval Office.
Donald Trump is making a victor’s return to Washington.
The president-elect’s plane landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday morning. President Joe Biden — both Trump’s successor and predecessor to the presidency — will welcome him to the White House for an Oval Office visit. It’s a traditional part of the peaceful handoff of power — a ritual Trump himself declined to participate in four years ago.
Trump also planned to meet with congressional Republicans as they focus on his Day 1 priorities and prepare for a potentially unified government with a GOP sweep of power in the nation’s capital. His visit, amid Republican congressional leadership elections, could put his imprint on the outcome.
▶ Read more about Trump and Biden’s meeting
The vice president is spending the morning in meetings at her official residence, according to a person with knowledge of her schedule.
If she does show up later — either at the White House or the adjacent Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where most of her staff works — it likely wouldn’t be until after Trump leaves.
— Chris Megerian
Tom Emmer of Minnesota says he’s expecting Trump to talk to House Republicans about how to “restart America’s economy by unleashing American energy,” sealing the southern border and removing immigrants who entered illegally under President Biden.
“I expect him to give a great message today, more like a locker room speech getting everybody ready for what’s coming in January,” Emmer said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
Billionaire Elon Musk will join Trump in Washington, according to a Trump aide.
The SpaceX owner, who Trump just named to a government efficiency advisory role in the new administration, is not currently expected to be at Trump’s meeting with Biden at the White House.
Musk will join Trump’s earlier meeting with House Republicans before he and Biden meet in the Oval Office. He’s been a steady presence at Trump’s side since the election.
It was Biden’s poor performance at that debate that led Democrats to start pressuring him to drop out and let another candidate take on Trump.
Biden pulled the plug on his campaign weeks later and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. She lost to Trump in last week’s election.
President-elect Donald Trump is on his way to Washington to meet with Republican congressional leaders on Capitol Hill and President Joe Biden at the White House.
Trump’s plane took off from the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, around 7:30 a.m. ET for the roughly two-hour flight to the U.S. capital.
A meeting between the incoming and outgoing president is tradition but then-President Trump didn’t invite Biden to the White House after he lost to the Democrat in 2020.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says it was important to Biden to invite Trump because he believes in the “norms” and a peaceful transfer of power.
Republican senators will gather behind closed doors Wednesday to decide who will replace longtime Senate leader Mitch McConnell and lead their new majority next year — a decision that could shape the future of the Senate, and the party, as Donald Trump reclaims the presidency.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott have been scrambling to win the most votes in the secret ballot election, promising a new direction in the Senate even as they furiously compete for Trump’s favor. It will be the first test of Trump’s relationship with Congress after he won the election decisively and claimed a mandate for his agenda.
It’s uncertain who will win.
▶ Read more about the GOP’s decision
The U.S. Capitol is seen on a sunrise on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Latest: Trump returns to Washington to meet with Biden and GOP lawmakers
FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
The Latest: Trump returns to Washington to meet with Biden and GOP lawmakers
