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U.S. Rep. Ron Barber is clawing his way back in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, trailing Republican Martha McSally by just a few hundred votes in his bid for re-election.

Arizona Republican Party officials want to study the benefits and drawbacks to closing GOP primary elections to independents, who increasingly have gained influence as a voting bloc in primary races.

Former lawmaker Ruben Gallego’s winning get-out-the-vote effort in the 7th Congressional District extended to voters traditionally ignored by candidates in primary elections, a strategy that could be a boon for future candidates running in the same area.

Ruben Gallego and Mary Rose Wilcox are locked in a high-stakes struggle to win primary votes in a congressional district marked by low turnout and uncontested primaries. The race highlights a bitter schism among longtime Phoenix Democrats with community roots, and political newcomers eager for an opportunity to represent the state.