Democrat Ruben Gallego elected to US Senate in Arizona, Edison Research projects

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.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis and Kim Coghill)