The possibility of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) running for reelection has been strong enough to scare her would-be Senate race competitors, causing both Democratic and Republican groups to launch advertisements attacking the senator for being out of touch with Arizona’s needs.

Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake launched an ad on Monday calling Sinema and fellow Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) “enablers” who allowed the Biden administration to neglect border security. Replace Sinema, a pro-Gallego PAC, launched a local TV ad on Tuesday casting Sinema as self-indulgent and unable to connect with her constituents.

The ads are the latest campaign move for Gallego and Lake, whose January ad run dates show they are not wasting any time reminding Arizonans that what is likely the most competitive Senate race is approaching in November. 

A survey from Public Policy Polling released last week found Lake and Gallego are neck and neck, with 45% supporting Gallego and 46% supporting Lake. With Sinema in the race, the poll suggested the three-way race would boost Gallego over Lake — in a three-way contest, the Democrat receives 36% of the support, followed by the Republican with 35% and Sinema with 17%. Gallego has held a lead in a majority of polls over Lake.

Sinema has not announced whether she plans to run for a second term, but the Replace Sinema PAC is not waiting for her to decide.

“She is a candidate in every respect except she hasn’t declared,” Replace Sinema PAC spokeswoman Sacha Haworth said in a statement to the Arizona Republic.

In the ad, the PAC focuses on reports of Sinema’s spending on dinners, hotels, and private flights underwritten by her well-heeled campaign donors. It closes with a statement, “Kyrsten Sinema sold out to live large.”

Lake lost the gubernatorial race to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in the 2022 midterm elections, following in the steps of several other Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their general election bids. At the time of her 2022 campaign, Lake parroted several debunked claims by the former president that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. 

Her 2024 Senate campaign is taking a policy approach, focusing on immigration and crime, as shown in her recent ad. Lake nationalized the Senate race, working to connect both Gallego and Sinema to President Joe Biden and national Democrats.

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“When Republicans take back the U.S. Senate, we will fix the problems caused by Joe Biden and his enablers Kyrsten Sinema and Ruben Gallego,” Lake said in a statement. “I will work with (former President Donald Trump) to make Arizona, and America, Safe, Affordable and Great Again.”

To her part, Sinema has been working to build up her image as a bipartisan deal-maker as she and a group of senators are crafting an agreement that would include border security measures to appeal to GOP lawmakers withholding support for Israel and Ukraine. Congress has not passed major legislation on immigration in 30 years, so the passage of any border deal could boost Sinema if she files for reelection.