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

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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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Primaries were held Tuesday to fill the seat being vacated at the end of this year by Rep. Ruben Gallego. (Getty Images)

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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Candidate Jeff Zink has aligned himself closely with former President Trump. (Felipe Ramales for Fox News Digital)

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 is leaving his House seat to run for Senate, likely against Kari Lake. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

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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.