Representative. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is running for Senate, challenging independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and potentially setting up a complicated three-way race that will pit top Democratic leaders.
Gallego, a Navy veteran who saw combat in Iraq, has served in the House since 2015 and has been seen for months as Sinema’s most likely Democratic challenger, recently hiring well-known Democratic consultants and pollsters for a bid.
“If you’re more likely to run into the powerful than the powerless, you’re doing this job incorrectly,” Gallego will say in his campaign launch video, taking a direct shot at lobbyist-friendly Sinema. “I’m sorry the politicians let you down, but I’m going to change that.”
Sinema first won Senate in 2018 as a Democrat, switching to independent only after Democrats performed unexpectedly well in Arizona in the 2022 midterms. Gallego endorsed her in 2018, but like many state Democrats, became frustrated with her when she blocked crucial parts of President Joe Biden’s agenda.
Sinema, whose swing voting role meant he was instrumental in negotiating compromises on infrastructure and gun control during the last Congress, has yet to announce whether he will run for re-election. Limited early polls show him trailing both Gallego and a potential GOP nominee.
“I don’t think or talk about the election,” Sinema told local radio station KTAR last week. “I’m focused on work.”
In his video, Gallego highlights his life story, beginning with his youth in Chicago, where he was raised by a single mother and helped raise his three younger sisters, including his time at Harvard and a post-Iraq battle with PTSD. I disturb. stress disorder.
“Most families feel like they don’t have a paycheck or two until they break even. This is not how we should live in this country,” Gallego says in the launch video, which will also be released in Spanish. “The rich and powerful don’t need more lawyers. People are still trying to decide between food and services that need a fighter for them.
Gallego’s bid also creates decision points for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), his political operation and President Joe Biden, all of whom may soon have to decide whether to back Sinema — whose vote remains crucial to confirming Biden’s nominees and maintaining leverage when negotiating with Republicans or a Democratic candidate in Arizona.
Gallego is the favorite for the nomination, especially after fellow Rep. Greg Stanton announced last week that he would not run. But that’s not guaranteed, with some national and local Democrats continuing to identify Tucson Mayor Regina Romero as a potential candidate.
The Arizonan hired New Deal Strategies, the same firm that ran Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) 2022 race. Gallego is expected to follow a similar ideological path, combining a progressive background and populist economic messages aimed at the working class, while avoiding less popular leftist positions.
Republicans could also see contested primaries for the Senate seat: 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, 2022 Senate candidate Blake Masters and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb are all potential candidates on the Trumpist right of the party. Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost the GOP gubernatorial primary to Lake, is a potential candidate from the party’s governing wing.
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