Kari Lake, as expected, won the U.S. Senate nod for Republicans on Tuesday. However, unofficial results indicate that her victory over Pinal County sheriff Mark Lamb was much narrower than what her campaign had claimed two weeks prior to voting.

The Associated Press declared the race for Lake around 8:44 p.m. However, the extent of her victory remained unknown as the vote-counting process is expected to take several days.

If the final margins are well below the 30 percent point difference Lake’s camp cited in June, it could increase long-standing concerns among Republicans both in Arizona and nationwide that she can’t defeat Democrat Ruben Galego in November.

Lake did not address the margin of victory when she declared her victory to her supporters Tuesday night. She called on those who did not vote for her, as Americans, to unite to defeat Gallego.

Lake stated, “This is a moment when all hands are on deck.” Our country is at a critical crossroads. We have to unite as Americans. We’ve watched what happened in the last three-and-a-half years. “We only have three months and a half to save this nation.”

Lake described Lamb as “a man of great character”, who had “never pushed below the belt” during their campaign. Lamb had not publicly conceded his race as Lake claimed victory late Tuesday.

Lamb benefited from the fact that Lake was reluctant to back him. He had little money, no television exposure, and few prominent endorsers.

Lake has raised 16 times as much money on social media than Lamb, and she has 16 times the number of followers. She is backed by former President Donald Trump, National Republican Senatorial Committee, and 23 Republicans in the Senate.

Lamb had no notable GOP endorsements.

Gallego reiterated in a press release that Lake poses a danger to Arizonans.

Arizonans from every corner of the State have been clear in the 554 days that we’ve run this campaign. They want a U.S. He said he wanted to be a Senator who could bring people together in order to protect abortion rights, reduce costs for families, safeguard our water future and care for our veterans.

From now until November I invite all Arizonans – Democrats, Republicans and Independents – to join our team to help defeat Kari and her dangerous plan that would ban abortions and harm Arizonans.

Both the Senate Majority PAC (Democratic-aligned organization) and American Bridge 21st Century (Democratically-aligned organization), issued similar quick statements, describing Lake as a denier of elections and an extremist.

Karrin Taylor-Robson, who was an opponent of Lake’s during the 2022 gubernatorial race, offered her full support to Lake and other Republicans Tuesday night. Lake sought this endorsement for months in private and was able to secure it quickly after her primary victory.

Steve Daines (R-Mont. ), the chair of NRSC and U.S. Senator Steve Daines did not show any concern about Lake’s apparent performance. He urged Arizona voters to come together against Gallego.

In a written message, he congratulated Kari Lake for her victory tonight in the primary. “Arizonans need to unite in order to defeat Ruben Galego, who is one of the nation’s most radical Democrats. Ruben Gallego and Kamala will work together to abolish (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), cut funding for the police and pass reckless spending which will increase prices. Kari Lake, along with President Trump, will secure the border, bring crime under control and lower prices.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released an ad digital that explains how they plan to frame the race. The ad describes her as dangerous and a lie. The ad plays up her opposition against abortion rights, and reminds the voters of her long-standing contempt towards late U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Lake lost by a narrow margin the 2022 gubernatorial election to Gov. Katie Hobbs is a Democrat who has been in court ever since to try and overturn this result.

Gallego, who has served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of that body, did not face any opponents in his party’s primaries on Tuesday. He also has millions of dollars more in campaign money than Lake, even though his ads in Arizona have been seen for months.

Republican Elizabeth Jean Reye finished a distant third at the GOP primary.

Mike Norton, who has ties with Democrats, narrowly led Arturo Hernandez (a Republican candidate) in the Green Party’s primary. It was not immediately clear how long-time Green Party member Eduardo Quintana fared in the write-in race.

The showdown between Gallego and Lake will determine who succeeds Kyrsten Sinesma, I.Ariz.

Gallego has consistently led the public polls since Sinema’s announcement in March that she would not run for a second term.

Lake treated her primary victory as a formality. She avoided even saying Lamb’s name, and skipped a face to face debate with Lamb in July.

Lake’s campaign claimed that she was in a clear lead over Lamb on June 13.

The campaign stated in a press release at the time that “She has a 30 percent lead in the polls, and is focused solely on defeating (U.S. Rep. Ruben Galego, D.Ariz. ), and winning Arizona (with former President Donald Trump).”

Lake also said that a forum where she and Lamb both appeared at separate times served as the debate.

On that occasion, Lake called Lamb a “total liar when it comes election integrity.”

Lamb was asked if there had been “fraud” that “had a material effect on the 2020 elections.” Lamb replied that he saw “zero proof” of this, later explaining that he only spoke for his own county.

Lamb responded to the issue several times in an indication that her attack resonated with GOP supporters.

Lake, who had been anticipating her Senate run for months, finally entered the race in October.

Her campaign was closely aligned with the issues and messages that Trump popularized years ago. She has told voters that illegal immigration, inflation, crime, and overdoses have become a major problem.

Lamb’s assessment about America under Joe Biden is not much different.

Lamb insisted that his experience as a deputy sheriff fighting illegal drugs and immigration was what mattered. He noted that he had won two elections while gaining the position of sheriff. This was a stark contrast to Lake’s only previous run, which ended in defeat.

Both candidates are in favor of building a border wall on the southern border. Both candidates support the rollback of abortion rights after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022.

Lake was unable to confirm whether she agreed with Arizona’s near-total prohibition of the procedure in 19th century, which state legislators eventually overturned under public pressure. Lamb, on the other hand, said that he supported strict restrictions on abortion.

The biggest surprise is that the biggest surprises aren’t always the most obvious.