Ruben Gallego | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Pastor |
| Constituency | 7th district (2015–2023) 3rd district (2023–present) |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 27th district | |
| In office January 14, 2013 – March 14, 2014 Serving with Catherine Miranda | |
| Preceded by | Olivia Cajero Bedford |
| Succeeded by | Norma Muñoz |
| Member of the Arizona House of Representatives from the 16th district | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – January 13, 2013 Serving with Catherine Miranda | |
| Preceded by | Cloves Campbell Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Doug Coleman Kelly Townsend |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruben Marinelarena November 20, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 2000–2006 |
| Rank | Corporal |
| Unit | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Rubén Marinelarena Gallego (/ˈruːbən ˌɡaɪˈɛɡoʊ/; born November 20, 1979) is an American politician and U.S. Marine combat veteran, having served and deployed as a USMCR Corporal during Operation Iraqi Freedom, who is the U.S. representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district. A Democrat, he previously served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, serving as assistant minority leader from 2012 until he resigned to run for Congress. Gallego was elected to Congress in 2014. His district includes most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix, along with a portion of Glendale. He served as the national chair of Eric Swalwell's 2020 presidential campaign.[1]
Gallego is a candidate for the United States Senate seat currently held by Democrat-turned-independent Kyrsten Sinema in 2024.
Gallego was born in Chicago,[2] and is a first-generation American, with a Colombian mother and a Mexican father.[3]
Along with his three sisters, he was raised by a single mother.[4] The family eventually moved to Evergreen Park, Illinois, and he graduated from Evergreen Park Community High School.[5]
Gallego attended Harvard, where he became a member of Sigma Chi,[6] and earned a B.A. in international relations.[7]
After college, Gallego joined the Marines. After completing School of Infantry (SOI) training, he deployed to Iraq with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. The 3/25 lost 46 Marines and one Navy Corpsman between January 2005 and January 2006. Gallego's best friend died during combat operations in Iraq.[4]
Gallego's desire to help fellow combat veterans motivated him to get involved in politics. In 2009, he served as the Chief of Staff for District 7 City Phoenix City Councilman Michael Nowakowski before he was elected vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. The next year, he was elected to the Arizona State House, representing Arizona District 16.[8]
In 2011, The Arizona Republic named Gallego a distinguished freshman lawmaker.[9] His first successful bill granted in-state tuition status to veterans residing in Arizona.[4] Gallego supports the repeal of Arizona SB 1070. He considers education Arizona's most important long-term priority.[10] In 2012, Gallego was elected assistant minority leader.[11]
Gallego founded the group Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement with the goal of recalling Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, citing Arpaio's illegal immigration policies and his use of taxpayer money to investigate Barack Obama's citizenship.[12]
Gallego worked for Strategies 360 as Director of Latino and New Media operations. He also worked for Riester, one of Arizona's largest public relations firms.[13]
On February 27, 2014, Gallego announced his candidacy for Congress in Arizona's 7th congressional district.[14] Although not required to give up his seat under Arizona's resign-to-run laws (since he was in the final year of his state House term), Gallego resigned from the Arizona House in March 2014.[15]
Mayday PAC, a super PAC seeking to reduce the role of money in politics, announced its endorsement of Gallego because of his evolution on the issue of campaign finance reform.[16] On February 28, 2013, Gallego voted against an amendment that sought to raise campaign finance limits for federal candidates and abolish all limits for state candidates, HB 2523.[17] He has since been a vocal supporter of the Government By the People Act.[18]
Gallego won a five-way Democratic primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic, majority-Latino district—with 48.9% of the vote. He won the general election with 74% of the vote. He has been reelected three times, never dropping below 70% of the vote. He faced only a Green candidate in 2018, and defeated Republican challengers in 2016, 2020 and 2022. Considered a progressive politician, Gallego, who has been very critical of U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema, was encouraged by several left-wing organizations to run against her in the 2024 election.[19] He announced his candidacy on January 23, 2023.[20]
Gallego supports the full legalization of marijuana.[28] He supports cap and trade legislation, carbon taxes, and increasing funding for renewable, clean energy.[29]
Gallego opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, describing the decision as "rolling back women's rights".[30]
Gallego opposed the building of the Rosemont mine in Arizona, saying it would have a "devastating" environmental impact. He has sponsored efforts to require operators of public water systems to report when lead is found in water.[31] He supports gun buyback programs.[32] He also supports Obamacare and opposed its attempted repeal.[33] He is an original cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act.[34]
Gallego supported efforts to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.[35] He opposes efforts to deport undocumented immigrants while they wait to be eligible for citizenship. He has co-sponsored efforts to require lawyers for children who are at risk of being deported.[36]
Gallego opposes the privatization of Social Security. He also opposes allowing people to put Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts.[37] As of October 2021, Gallego had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[38]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego | 4,149 | 26.12 | |
| Democratic | Catherine Miranda | 3,476 | 21.88 | |
| Democratic | Cloves Campbell Jr. (incumbent) | 3,182 | 20.03 | |
| Democratic | Jim Munoz Jr. | 2,281 | 14.36 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Gonzales | 1,955 | 12.31 | |
| Democratic | Cristy Lopez | 842 | 5.30 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Catherine Miranda | 19,197 | 39.46 | |
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego | 18,365 | 37.75 | |
| Republican | Michael Gular | 8,551 | 17.58 | |
| Green | Angel Torres | 2,532 | 5.21 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Catherine Miranda (incumbent) | 28,683 | 39.46 | |
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego (incumbent) | 27,522 | 37.75 | |
| Republican | Daniel Coleman | 10,088 | 14.41 | |
| Green | Angel Torres | 3,702 | 5.29 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego | 14,936 | 48.90 | |
| Democratic | Mary Rose Wilcox | 11,077 | 36.27 | |
| Democratic | Randy Camacho | 2,330 | 7.63 | |
| Democratic | Jarrett Maupin | 2,199 | 7.20 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego | 54,235 | 74.85 | |
| Libertarian | Joe Cobb | 10,715 | 14.79 | |
| Americans Elect | Rebecca DeWitt | 3,858 | 5.32 | |
| Independent | José Peñalosa | 3,496 | 4.83 | |
| Write-in | 150 | 0.21 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego (incumbent) | 119,465 | 75.2 | |
| Republican | Eve Nunez | 39,286 | 24.7 | |
| Write-in | 60 | < 0.01 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego (incumbent) | 113,044 | 85.6 | |
| Green | Gary Swing | 18,706 | 14.1 | |
| Write-in | 301 | < 0.01 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego (incumbent) | 165,452 | 75.7% | |
| Republican | Josh Barnett | 50,226 | 23.3% | |
| Write-in | 54 | 0.0% | ||
| Total votes | 215,732 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ruben Gallego (incumbent) | 108,599 | 77.0% | |
| Republican | Jeff Zink | 32,475 | 23.0% | |
| Total votes | 141,074 | 100% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
On January 22, 2023, Gallego announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2024. The seat is currently held by Kyrsten Sinema, an independent who was first elected as a Democrat in 2018, and who has angered some members of the party due to her opposition to filibuster reform and some Democratic legislation. Sinema has not yet announced whether she is seeking reelection.
On August 7, 2008, Gallego changed his name from Ruben Marinelarena to Ruben Marinelarena Gallego to honor his mother, Elisa Gallego, who raised him and his three siblings on her own after his father abandoned the family in his childhood.[39]
In 2010, Gallego married Kate Widland Gallego, who was later elected mayor of Phoenix. They divorced in 2017, just before the birth of their child, Michael.[40]
Gallego married Sydney Barron in 2021.[41][42] On December 27, 2022, the couple appeared on Good Morning America and announced they were expecting their first child in July 2023.
Gallego sits on the board of Valley Citizens League and the President's Community Advisory Board for South Mountain Community College.[43]
Gallego served in the Marines Third Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marine Regiment, Lima Company, the hardest-hit unit of the Iraq War. He wrote They Called Us "Lucky": The Life and Afterlife of the Iraq War's Hardest Hit Unit, published in 2021.[44]
