PHOENIX — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego will be Arizona’s first Latino senator next year, NBC News projects, after he defeated Republican Kari Lake amid a protracted vote count in one of the key swing states.

Gallego will replace Democratic-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who retired after one term. It’s the fourth consecutive Senate election Democrats have won in Arizona, which has veered sharply to the middle in the Donald Trump era after years of reliable Republican control….