Four candidates are running in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Arizona on July 30, 2024

By

Briana Ryan

Four candidates are running in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. Two candidates lead in endorsements, campaign finance, and media attention: Kari Lake (R) and Mark Lamb (R). Incumbent Sen. Krysten Sinema (I), who was first elected in 2018, is not running for re-election.

Lake was a news anchor for Fox 10 News Phoenix for 22 years. In 2021, she left the station to run for Governor of Arizona. In the 2022 gubernatorial general election, then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) defeated Lake, 50.3% to 49.6%. According to ABC News, Lake’s gubernatorial campaign “burnished her profile among conservatives and earned her widespread attention.”

Lake said she is running for the U.S. Senate because “we have an incredible opportunity to pick up a U.S. Senate seat. Take it out of the hands of people who’ve voted in a radical fashion for Joe Biden’s disastrous policies and get it back in the hands of a Republican who will go to Washington, D.C., and help set things on the right path.”

Lamb is the Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. According to USA Today, Lamb “made headlines in 2020 by saying he would not enforce stay-at-home orders and mask mandates that emanated from the COVID lockdown.” Lamb’s law enforcement career also included work at the Salt River Police Department and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. He owned a pest control business until he became sheriff in 2017.

Lamb said he is running for the U.S. Senate because “I’ve realized I can only do so much on a county level. This has to be taken back to a national level, and I hope to be part of the solutions in this country and not part of the problems. I think you need people who understand the nuances of working with other people.”

Elizabeth Reye (R) and Dustin Williams (R) are also running in the primary.

As of May 20, 2024, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rated the general election Toss-up. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rated the general election Tilt Democratic. Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated the general election Lean Democratic.