EXCLUSIVE — The mayor of a border town in Arizona is endorsing Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), giving the Democratic candidate a boost in what is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched Senate races of the 2024 cycle.
Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya announced his endorsement on Friday, making him the second border mayor from the Grand Canyon State to back Gallego’s Senate bid as immigration and border security remain top issues in the 2024 cycle. Anaya praised Gallego in a statement first shared with the Washington Examiner, lauding him as someone who could “finally bring the right approach” to crack down on illegal immigration but also “capitaliz[e] on the economic opportunities of the U.S./Mexico border.”
“We need leaders who understand that our border cities and towns are not just backdrops for press conferences,” Anaya said in a statement. “Our communities are on the frontlines of what is both a driver of billions of dollars of economic activity for the U.S. economy and an ongoing crisis of criminal activity that puts our residents in harm’s way.”
The support comes as Republicans eye the open seat of retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) as one of the party’s better opportunities to seize control of the upper chamber next year. Gallego is expected to face Republican candidate Kari Lake, who has attempted to frame the Democratic lawmaker as an “open borders radical.”
“He called the border wall stupid, supporting illegal immigrants voting in our elections, called for overturning Title 42, and was against Remain in Mexico. He cannot hide from his open borders policies,” a spokesperson for Lake said in a statement.
However, Gallego has managed to receive support from several local border representatives, including San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel and border Sheriff David Hathaway. His campaign has accused Lake of misconstruing his voting record on the border, citing other ads that have been deemed “misleading” and “deceitful” by some fact-checking organizations.
Polling shows a tight contest in Arizona, but the most recent surveys indicate Gallego has an edge over Lake in the critical swing state. Gallego leads Lake 45% to 41%, according to a recent survey by the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College.
Yet Lake’s allies have pointed to former President Donald Trump’s polling in Arizona against President Joe Biden as a positive sign for her campaign. Lake has closely aligned herself with the former president, who leads Biden 49% to 42% in the state, according to the poll.
The race became less favorable for Lake last month after Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted the state from a toss-up to leaning Democratic. That shift came after the Arizona Supreme Court upheld a near-total abortion ban in Arizona, prompting pushback from even some Republicans, including Lake and Trump.
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There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans, and nearly all competitive seats are held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as they try to maintain their slim majority.
Democrats control the Senate by a bare 51 votes, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker if needed. As a result, Republicans only need to flip one Senate seat to win the majority should they win back the White House in 2024. If they don’t regain the Oval Office, they need to secure two extra Senate seats.
