With Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema retiring, Arizona must elect a new Senator. The Republican former TV news anchor and Democrat congressman have been campaigning throughout the state in efforts to win over voters. The debate was likely the last and most high profile chance for either candidate to make their pitch to the electorate.

The debate, organized and held by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, featured discussions on issues facing Arizona.  

The first topic of the night was immigration.

The discussion of the issue, a key factor for voters in a border state, began with Gallego clarifying his current stance.

“I think a border wall is important to a security package, but it also has to be coupled with technology, manpower and then laws that come behind that.” Gallego said.

He also brought up his support for the unpassed bipartisan border security bill a few months ago when arguing Lake couldn’t be trusted on Immigration. The bill, negotiated between Republicans and Democrats, would have invested new money into Border Patrol and security measures for the border. It lost republican support after former President Donald Trump voiced opposition to it. Lake also has previously voiced opposition to the bill.

Lake meanwhile praised former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy and voiced her support for restarting efforts to build a border wall quickly if elected. She also attacked Gallego on the state of immigration policy in the U.S.

“Every state is a border state right now because of this man's policies, this man's votes which have been 100% open border,” Lake said.

The discussion moved onto the issue of abortion, especially key for Arizona given that voters will also vote on Prop 139 this election.

When asked if he would codify Roe V. Wade, Gallego stated he would.

“It is absolutely abhorrent that my 15 month old daughter has less rights and control of her body than her mother,” Gallego said.

Lake voiced support for leaving the decision of abortion policy to the states.

“I agree with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said this should be a decision left to the states,” Lake said.

This was based on criticism the former Supreme Court justice had of Roe V. Wade, but Lake misrepresented her position as that of leaving the choice to the states. While Ginsburg had voiced her opinion that the case wasn’t the right one to use as a legal standard for abortion, she still supported the idea that the constitution protects abortion rights on a federal level.

On the economy, Lake voiced support of renewal of the 2017 Trump tax cuts and reducing government waste as key ways to juice the economy. Gallego voiced support for a $15 dollar minimum wage, and while agreeing with Lake on renewing some of the tax cuts signed into law by the former President, voiced his opposition to expanding and renewing the corporate tax cuts portion of the law.

Gallego repeatedly asked Lake if she was willing to admit she lost the 2022 Governor’s race, which she has previously challenged the results of in public and in court. She did not answer any of his prompts, seemingly dodging the issue.

Lake raised allegations of sexual harassment against Gallego during his time in the Arizona House of Representatives. The allegation, filed in 2013, was that Gallego made a comment with an implied sexual undertone to it. Gallego has denied it and the complaint was dropped.

With early voting beginning in Arizona, the debate gave voters a last chance to hear answers from the candidates on the important issues.