Kari Lake suffers fresh blow as key group makes surprise endorsement of her Dem rival

The Arizona Police Association typically supports Republican candidates for elected office, but as the 2024 election approaches they have endorsed a Democrat for the U.S. Senate race.

The "largest police/public safety association in the state, representing thousands of active law enforcement officers, proudly announces its endorsement of Representative Ruben Gallego to represent Arizona in the United States Senate," the group said in a press release Monday.

During the previous election, the same group supported both Kari Lake for governor and Blake Masters for U.S. Senate in 2022. Despite being an incumbent in 2022, the group also didn't endorse Gallego then, said The Copper Courier's chief political correspondent Camaron Stevenson in an X post.

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"As a Marine combat veteran, we know Congressman Gallego understands the complexities of modern policing in American society today, while at the same time recognizing the public's expectation," Arizona Police Association President Justin Harris said in a release. "The APA does not take our endorsement lightly; we recognize the importance of having a U.S. Senator that can bring people together to improve society for all. We believe Congressman Gallego will be that U.S. Senator."

Read the full endorsement here.