It was a disappointing election day for those who voted for the Republican Party on Tuesday as the red wave didn’t come. However, there may be a chance for optimism in the near future.
The latest numbers from Arizona have not only shown that the race is tightening, but GOP governor candidate Kari Lake appears to be to be favored to beat Democrat Katie Hobbs. Blake Masters, who is running for senator, has a distinct, although more challenging route to defeat Democrat Mark Kelly.
It is important to remember the race for the primary that recently took place in Arizona. Kari Lake was losing by double-digits throughout the night. It wasn't until after the election day that she beat her GOP opponent and became the governor candidate. It's because Arizona usually considers election day votes last, and Lake's supporters were those that often voted on election day. This pattern is still in place for the general election, and at the moment, it appears that there's enough ballots left for Lake to be victorious as long as there isn't a sudden delivery of mail-in ballots that aren't included in the calculation.
Masters is facing a more difficult road. He's now five points behind Democrat Mark Kelly. This means he's got a lot more votes he needs as compared to Lake's 12,000 votes she needs. However, it’s possible for the GOP Senate Candidate. The math suggests that it's necessary to win between 58 and 60 percent of the remaining votes, and those are the kind of splits he had in the recent votes. The situation could change, but it's likely to be very close, regardless.
When you consider the performance of the Republican Party overall, the results are not great. However should Adam Laxalt win the senate seat in Nevada (highly likely at this time) and Masters manages to pull off an election win, Republicans could take the US Senate without needing to beat the runoff vote in Georgia and it could turn into a battle over the possibility of a 52nd Senate seat. This wouldn't alter the fact that major changes are needed within the Republican Party, however it could lessen the pain that many of us have felt until now.
In regards to Lake, she's such enjoyable to watch. She will hopefully have the chance to become a governor. If she is elected, it will be a huge victory for the Republicans and an even bigger win for Arizona.
Maricopa County tends to make its ballot drops at night. Watch for one that could propel Lake to the top and Masters much closer.
