Ruben Gallego is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona. Following restricting, he currently holds his seat from the state's 3rd District, based in Arizona's central region. In the past, he had been elected from its 7th District.
Arizona is scheduled to have an election for one of its United States Senate seats in 2024. Incumbent Senator Kyrsten Sinema has become one of the country's most polarizing political figures. Originally elected to office as a member of the Democratic Party, she has since become an Independent.
Gallego may have already been looking to challenge her in a primary. But it seems, following her change of affiliation, that he's willing to match up with her in a general election as well.
Formally launches campaign for the Senate
Ruben Gallego is running for the U.S. Senate, report CNN and Politico. Following Sinema's departure from the party, Gallego becomes the first Democrat to enter the primary. Others may yet get into the race, including Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero. Gallego's fellow U.S. Representative Greg Stanton recently announced that he'd opted out of making a go for the seat. Prior to the relative defection of the incumbent, Stanton had been heavily favored over Sinema in the primary.
Gallego made his official public announcement about his Senate decision to a group of U.S. military veterans. He then posted a video of it online afterward.
Gallego's career in politics began at the local and state levels. Eventually, he was selected as the vice chairman of the Arizona chapter of the Democratic Party. In 2010, he won a seat in the Arizona House of Representatives.
In the Democratic primary, Gallego defeated incumbent Cloves Campbell Jr. Two years later, he was chosen as assistant minority leader.
In 2014, Democratic incumbent U.S. Representative Ed Pastor was not running for re-election from Arizona's 7th District. Gallego won the race to succeed him and has won another four U.S. House races since then.
Gallego is currently a member of the U.S. House Committees on the Armed Services, Natural Resources and Veterans' Affairs. In the past, he chaired the Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations. Additionally, Gallego was the national chair of California U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell's Presidential campaign in 2019.
Is a retired member of the United States Marine Corps
Ruben Gallego is a native of Chicago, Illinois. He would graduate from high school in nearby Evergreen Park. His mother immigrated to the United States from Colombia and his father emigrated from Mexico. Though the latter was largely absent from Gallego and his sisters' lives.
After graduating from Harvard University, Gallego enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was deployed to serve in the Iraq War and has openly had struggles with PTSD in the years since. Gallego retired from the Marines holding the rank of corporal.
