Arizona live election results for the 2024 presidential race

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake are facing off in for the seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who is an independent but caucuses with Democrats. The seat is key for Democrats to hold onto control of the Senate, or for Republicans to take control. 

Gallego, a progressive lawmaker and former Marine, has been leading in the polls leading up to Election Day.

Changing demographics: A longtime staunch Republican state — the birthplace of Barry Goldwater — Arizona has slowly been trending more blue in the 21st century. When Trump was elected in 2016, the state was represented by two moderate Republicans in the Senate, John McCain and Jeff Flake, both of whom opposed Trump. When McCain died in 2018 and Flake retired at the end of his term the same year, both of their seats eventually turned Democratic, although Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, elected in 2018, later left the Democratic Party to become an independent. The state's capital, Phoenix, has grown to become the fifth-largest city by population in the country. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its suburbs, is the fourth largest county in the country by population and makes up more than half of Arizona's population. Immigration: Immigration is one of the key issues in the state. Arizona shares about 370 miles of border with Mexico, an area that has increasingly become a crossing point for migrants. During the first four months of fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol recorded more than 250,000 migrant apprehensions in the Tucson sector, the most of any region patrolled by the agency, according to federal government statistics. The border wall once touted by Trump was halted by Mr. Biden when he took office in 2021, although by the end of that year, the Department of Homeland Security authorized the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to move forward with "activities necessary to address life, safety, environmental and remediation requirements" related to the Defense Department's 284 border barrier projects, according to the Arizona Republic. Trump has promised to restart border wall construction.Abortion: Arizona bans abortion at 15 weeks, which was put into effect in 2022. Earlier this year, the state Supreme Court upheld a near-total ban on abortions dating back to 1864, although the GOP-controlled legislature quickly reversed the ban and it was signed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, reverting the law back to the 2022 ban. Since then, abortion rights groups have secured enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a former Democrat turned independent and long a boogeyman for liberals, is retiring this year, and Democratic Rep. Rueben Gallego is facing Republican Kari Lake in a race for the open seat. Gallego, who represents Phoenix and the surrounding western suburbs in Congress, has a fundraising advantage, having raised nearly $22 million through the end of Sept., while Lake has nearly $17 million. 

A polarizing ally of Trump, Lake first ran for governor in 2022 and refused to accept the election results. A CBS News poll conducted from Oct. 11-16 had Gallego leading Lake by 9 points. 

Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork.