Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs won her race against Republican Kari Lake, and incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly was re-elected, defeating Republican candidate Blake Masters. Decision Desk HQ has named Katie Hobbs as the projected winner in the Arizona governor’s race on November 14 at 8:50 p.m. ET. Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly was projected as the winner of the Arizona Senate race on Nov. 11 at 10:08 p.m. ET. The state, which voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and then President Joe Biden in 2020, has been at the center of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. On Tuesday, voters had a chance to embrace Trumpism with two Republicans who followed his playbook or stick with the Democrats who had proudly—but barely—turned the state blue. The Senate race between Kelly and Masters was one of the most-watched races in the country. Kelly, the husband of former congressman Gabby Giffords, first took office in 2020 as a result of a special election following the death of former senator John McCain. It was the first time since 1953 that Arizona had two Democrats in the Senate — Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. As he ran for re-election, the former Navy pilot and astronaut focused his campaign on making health care more affordable, protecting abortion rights, creating more jobs, raising wages in Arizona and funding federal benefits. such as Social Security and Medicare. Masters, a 36-year-old first-time candidate, has focused on issues that align with the GOP’s broader messaging for the 2022 midterm elections, including reducing crime, controlling the border, increasing spending on the U.S. military and supporting restrictions on abortion. Masters also campaigned to end total “wokeness,” according to his campaign website, and during the Republican primary, he described abortion as a form of “genocide.”
