Arizona just ended its hottest summer since records began in 1896, with its fast-growing Phoenix metropolis last month completing a historic 113-day streak of temperatures at 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The next few decades are forecast to be even hotter for longer.

To survive in that heat and keep the states economy growing, Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego pitched one major solution at Wednesday nights final debate with Republican rival Kari Lake.

More nuclear power.

Amid a combative televised parley in which the serving U.S. congressman attacked his GOP opponent for denying election results and climate science, Gallego said new reactors were the quickest thing we could do to make sure we can continue the growth we have in Arizona with manufacturing and residential to make sure we can meet that.

We have to first accept that climate change is happening. We prepare for that by actually having a very resilient grid, he said. We need to bring in more baseload energy. Thats going to have to be nuclear.