PHOENIX — Kari Lake is projected to win the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate race in Arizona, according to the Associated Press.
As of 6:30 a.m., the state's unofficial results show Kari Lake with 340,213 votes, Mark Lamb with 240,877 votes, and Elizabeth Reye with 33,287 votes.
The AP called the race in Lake's favor by 8:45 p.m.
When she took the stage to accept the nomination just after 9 p.m., Lake thanked her campaign volunteers, donors and family. She also thanked former President Donald Trump for his endorsement.
"He can't do it alone, it's not about one man, he can't do this alone. He needs backup in Washington DC," Lake said. "And I'm going to be his backup."
Lake also thanked her opponent, who she called a friend, Mark Lamb.
"Every day he goes out there and puts it all on the line, we appreciate you, Mark," Lake said. "I know we both want to save America and I look forward to working with you."
She also thanked the people who voted for her.
"I thank you if I'm the first Republican you voted for, and I thank you if I'm the 50th Republican you voted for," Lake said.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: AP: Se proyecta que Kari Lake gana las primarias republicanas para el Senado de EE.UU.
Lake, a former news anchor, entered the Senate race after losing the 2022 governor's race to Democrat Katie Hobbs.
Lamb, who has served as sheriff of Pinal County since 2017, has tried to pitch himself as the more electable candidate in the race but has struggled to raise money on the same level as his opponent. Through the end of June, Lake had raised about $10 million compared with Lamb's $2 million.
The Republican who wins the nomination will face off against Democrat Ruben Gallego in the general election. Gallego didn't have any primary challengers for his party's nomination.
The candidates will be running to fill a seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, the former Democrat who is not seeking another term. Sinema won the seat in 2018 as a Democrat against Republican Martha McSally by about 55,000 votes.
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