PHOENIX — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego will be Arizona’s first Latino senator next year, according to NBC News, after defeating Republican Kari Lake amid a prolonged vote count in one of the key swing states.

Gallego will replace independent Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who retired after one term. It’s the fourth straight Senate election Democrats have won in Arizona, which has swung sharply to the middle in the Donald Trump era after years of reliable Republican control. Trump won the state in 2016 and he won it again thandhis year by what appears to be his largest margin of any of the core swing states.

But Joe Biden carried Arizona in 2020, part of a recent Democratic resurgence in the state.

A key component of Gallego’s victory was his reinvention as a battleground moderate instead of the fiery progressive of his earlier days in politics. Gallego rose through the ranks in Arizona on the fringes of his party, chipping in alongside progressive Senator Bernie SandersI-Vt., and joining the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House.

Still, he has largely shed the progressive label in his Senate bid and, among other endorsements this year, has received support from one of Arizona’s major police unions, which appeals to a state that has more registered Republicans than Democrats .

Lake, meanwhile, hasn’t quite managed to polish off the sharp edges of her political persona she lost a MAGA-aligned bid for governor in 2022 and refused to admit defeat. Some Republicans and independents failed to come to terms with her candidacy, and she ran well behind Trump despite her efforts to connect with his top campaign.

Gallego enjoyed superior fundraising and more outside spending support from his party, consistently outpacing Lake throughout the campaign before falling far behind in the cash race in recent months.

Gallego, a Navy veteran and the son of Colombian and Mexican immigrants, fused his identity into his campaign, launching both the “Veterans for Gallego” and Juntos Con Gallego coalitions over the summer. But he kept his message focused on the issues behind those identities. , linking them to border security, comprehensive immigration reform and expanded mental health services for veterans.

Gallego focused on his party’s strengths, such as reproductive rights, but tried to directly address his party’s weaknesses, advertising on issues such as border security. Lake tried to tie Gallego to Biden and his administration on a number of issues, but especially border security, a key point of hers during their only debate in October.

Lake, who once referred to himself as “Trump in heels,” branded Gallego with a collection of unflattering nicknames, including “swamp rat.” She also went after him personally, bringing up details of his divorce from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and trying to bring him up on his progressive past.