The close race with Democrat Katie Hobbs was one of the most important of the US midterms, as Arizona is a battleground state expected to play a pivotal role in the 2024 presidential election. Ms Lake had vowed to ban postal voting in the state, which conspiracy theorists falsely claim is vulnerable to fraud. After the fight was announced, Ms Hobbs tweeted: “Democracy is worth the wait.” Her defeated opponent expressed disdain for the election, tweeting: “Arizonas know BS when they see it.” Her defeat capped a successful week for Democrats, who defied Republican hopes of a “red wave” in the midterm elections. Democrats retained control of the US Senate after retaining seats in Arizona and Nevada, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. The party could win outright majority control if Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock beats Republican challenger Herschel Walker in the Dec. 6 Georgia runoff. Ms. Lake, a former television news anchor, was one of a string of Trump-aligned Republican candidates who lost battleground state races. Click to subscribe to Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts Voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin also rejected the no-choice candidates in races for governor and other statewide election positions. Read more: Clear message from voters to preserve democracy, says Biden Who is De Sandys, the man who could stop Trump? Trump’s surge in Republican support isn’t taking off Republicans are three seats short of the 218-seat majority needed to take control of the House of Representatives, according to NBC. A Republican victory would shift the balance of power away from Democrats, who have held both the House and Senate for the past two years. It would allow Republicans to block President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.
