Arizona Democrats worried Trump would weaponize a primary decided by 39 votes

The Washington Post ^ | September 27, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT | Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

[E. Pluribus Unum]

PHOENIX — When Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) decided to run for Senate, it provided a rare opening in one of the safest congressional districts in the state for Democrats and set up a fiercely competitive and expensive primary.

The July 30 primary results were close and after an automatic recount, the top two contenders were separated by just 39 votes.

Typically, such a narrow outcome would result in a legal battle to ensure all votes were properly cast and counted — but this is Arizona, where former president Donald Trump and Republicans have criticized the voting systems for years, especially in the Phoenix area. Kari Lake, the Republican running against Gallego for Senate, is still legally challenging her defeat in the 2022 governor’s race, which she lost by about 17,000 votes.

The congressional candidates and key Arizona Democratic Party figures were fearful that casting doubt on the result would draw claims from Trump and his allies that Democrats were “election deniers,” according to five Democrats and a Republican closely familiar with the race who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly discuss private conversations. Questioning the outcome, they said, carried the risk that the former president would cite complaints made by Democrats about the legitimacy of the state’s voting system should he lose the November presidential election and try to undermine the results again.

CPlus, neither of the Democratic candidates’ campaigns had evidence of problems big enough to change the outcome of the race, they said, and the odds of winning a court case were slim.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Lake-doesn’t look good. They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems. Sad to say. Could money win it for her? If so it’s on us as no serious GOP candidate should go lacking.

[Magic Fingers]

That would be dreadful. Gallego is a hard core open-borders Marxist.

[Williams]

So democrats had a close primary and no one challenged the result because, Trump or something.

It’s an idiotic article.

[Mr. Jeeves]

They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems.

True - but look at every Senate race around the country. Massive amounts of Soros/out-of-state money are being funneled in to fight any candidate remotely resembling a conservative. It's more a consequence of the 17th Amendment - we've created 100 mini Presidential races that virtually shut out the opinions of each state's residents.

[Reily]

Well said!
Thanks to the 17th Amendment the state as an institution has lost its voice in national policy.

[pfflier]

It’s an idiotic article.

It's a classic "invent a crisis". HaHa made you look type stuff.

[DiogenesLamp]

It’s an idiotic article.

It's the Washington Post. "Idiotic" or "corrupt" are baked into the cake.

[Jonny7797]

They’re worried he will eradicate the dem cheat machine across the country which would likely mean Dems would be severely damaged and wouldnt win nearly as many elections

[Jonny7797]

“Lake-doesn’t look good. They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems.”

What do you base that on? I’m hearing the opposite

[rdcbn1]

Based on feet on the ground feedback, Kari Lake has pretty strong support in Arizona - including the more liberal/Hispanic areas like Tucson.

If the elections is fair, Kari Lake is favored to beat Gallego.

The strange ting is that there seems to be a number of voters who are all in for Trump but still are on the fence for Lake which I find puzzling.

[Jeff Vader]

yes that is puzzling because Lake is Trump in a dress

[DoughtyOne]

Looking at who they are voting for as a block, the wanna-be
Communists have no right to worry about anything. They gave
that up long ago.

[Dr. Sivana]

Lake-doesn’t look good. They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems.

I am in South Phoenix and work in Scottsdale. No shortage of Lake signs, and plenty of TV/Billboard advertising. Trump does okay among the Hispanics here, but Lake's opponent has a Hispanic surname and may not have coattails for Lake. She presents well, and Gallego is crazy left (he is presently my rep . . . ugh)

[DIRTYSECRET]

**“Lake-doesn’t look good. They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems.”
What do you base that on? I’m hearing the opposite**

It’s something called history.

[DoughtyOne]

Some people can’t accurately see the difference between
black and white. (I don’t know Lake’s opponent, so if
it’s a Black person, this was not in reference to race.)

[DIRTYSECRET]

**They can only elect McLames and Flakes it seems.
True - but look at every Senate race around the country. Massive amounts of Soros/out-of-state money are being funneled in to fight any candidate remotely resembling a conservative.**

That’s the game and we gotta play it.

[Mr. N. Wolfe]

“The strange ting is that there seems to be a number of voters who are all in for Trump but still are on the fence for Lake which I find puzzling.”

Republican voters are a quirky bunch (and I don’t mean that in a good way).

[Parley Baer]

I have been sending money to the Lake campaign. We need her in the Senate.

[MTBobcat]

It makes no sense at all. What is the point of it other than it was likely rigged, yet not contested. Why would Trump care about a Democrat primary?