By Moira Warburton
(Reuters) - Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego won election to the U.S. Senate in Arizona, Edison Research projected late on Monday, keeping the seat currently held by retiring Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-independent, in his party's hands.
Gallego, 44, is a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who represented a Phoenix district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015 before challenging hardline Republican Kari Lake for the Senate seat in a key swing state.
Gallego ran on a platform focused on gun control and immigration, both hot topics in the border state.
Lake, a former journalist, is a strident supporter of Donald Trump's false claims that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud. She mounted an unsuccessful run for Arizona governor in 2022.