TL/DR –
Arizona’s U.S. Senate race has been dominated by Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake, with other less familiar candidates also contesting the race. Elizabeth Jean Reye, a Republican, despises Lake and wants her party to return to Ronald Reagan’s vision. The Green Party has two candidates on its ballots suspected of being plants from the Democrats and Republicans, while incumbent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has decided not to seek another term.
Arizona Senate Race: Lesser-Known Candidates Hoping to Make an Impact
In Arizona’s U.S. Senate race, Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake have been the focus, but other less recognized names are also vying for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Among them is Republican Elizabeth Jean Reye, a critic of Lake and an advocate for a return to Ronald Reagan’s vision. Reye is part of the GOP primary ballot due on July 30.
Green Party voters will encounter unfamiliar names like Arturo Hernandez and Mike Norton. However, the party officials had hoped for Eduardo Quintana’s presence on the ballot. Quintana aims to win the primary through a write-in campaign, amidst suspicions of Democratic and Republican plants within the Green Party.
Sinema’s decision not to re-run simplifies the electoral calculations, but she could still draw some write-in support in November, potentially influencing the final results. This signifies the state of Arizona’s political dynamics, where protest messages and alternative agendas often come into play.
Elizabeth Reye, 46, acknowledges her uphill battle against Lake, but firmly believes that Lake does not represent the traditional Republican values. Reye, a neuroscientist from Paradise Valley, argues that someone “less brusque” than Lake is the GOP’s only chance to beat Gallego.
As for the Green Party, their candidates’ intentions remain unclear. Hernandez has GOP ties, Norton has Democratic connections, and Quintana, a longtime Green Party member, needs a write-in win to represent his party. Cody Hannah, co-chairman of the Arizona Green Party, believes that both Hernandez and Norton’s runs are attempts by the major parties to hijack the Green Party.
Quintana, 76, a retired technician, is focused on preventing what he calls genocide in Israel. He views immigration and border security as symptoms of larger issues and advocates for redirecting the economy towards renewable energy creation, providing jobs with living wages.
In contrast, little information is available about the other Green candidates, Norton and Hernandez. Norton’s campaign shows signs of Democratic backing, while Hernandez, a tribal gaming agent with no clear political history, was registered as a Republican in 2023.
Despite these lesser-known candidates, history indicates that a Democrat or Republican will win the Arizona Senate seat. Third parties have rarely had a substantial impact on the final results. In Arizona’s history, every Senate election has been won by a member of one of the two major parties.
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