Republican wins primary for Ruben Gallego's House seat but remains long shot in November

Voters in Arizona's 3rd Congressional District are now going to decide whether a Democrat or Republican should replace Rep. Ruben Gallego.

Pro-Trump GOP candidate Jeff Zink won Tuesday's primary in Arizona’s deep-blue 3rd Congressional District.

Zink defeated 29-year-old Jesús David Mendoza, a software engineer and political newcomer who ran as the more moderate Republican in the race.

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Zink, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022, previously made headlines for being one of the thousands of people who attended former President Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021 "Stop The Steal" rally, which was followed by a riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Despite the victory, he’s still a long shot candidate to win Arizona’s most heavily-Democratic congressional district.

The area is majority Latino and Hispanic, encompassing significant portions of Phoenix. 

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The nonpartisan Cook Political Report ranks it D+24, making it the most left-wing congressional district in Arizona.

It’s being vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for Senate against Republican candidate Kari Lake in November.

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Gallego represented the district from the beginning of 2023, having previously held Arizona’s 7th Congressional District from 2015.

The progressive military veteran is expected to be formally named the Democratic candidate to succeed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who is not seeking re-election.