Ruben Gallego | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| United States Senator-elect from Arizona | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Kyrsten Sinema |
| 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 | |
| In office January 10, 2011 – March 14, 2014 Serving with Catherine Miranda | |
| Preceded by | Cloves Campbell Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Norma Muñoz |
| Constituency | 16th district (2011–2013) 27th district (2013–2014) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruben Marinelarena November 20, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harvard University (BA) |
| Website | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | 2002–2013 |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit | 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Rubén Marinelarena Gallego (/ˈruːbən ɡaɪˈɛɡoʊ/ ROO-bən gy-EH-goh; born November 20, 1979) is an American politician who is a United States senator-elect from Arizona. He has served as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Gallego was a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, where he was assistant minority leader from 2012 until he resigned to run for Congress. Gallego was first elected to Congress in 2014. His district includes most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix, and part of Glendale, where he served four terms in the House.
Gallego served as the national chair of Eric Swalwell's 2020 presidential campaign.[1] A progressive politician, Gallego was critical of Senator Kyrsten Sinema for her opposition to abolishing the filibuster and votes against certain Democratic legislation. By the time he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024, he had distanced himself from the label "progressive".[2] Democratic Party members and liberal organizations encouraged him to run against Sinema, and in January 2023 he announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona. As Sinema did not seek reelection, Gallego won the Democratic nomination unopposed. In the general election he defeated the Republican nominee, Kari Lake.[3] He is the first Latino to be elected to represent Arizona in the United States Senate.[4]
- ^ Kling, Matt (April 15, 2019). "Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego Joins Eric Swalwell's Presidential Campaign". KJZZ (FM). Archived from the original on April 16, 2019.
- ^ Tabet, Alex; Hillyard, Vaughn (April 8, 2024). "Ruben Gallego redefines himself as he seeks Senate promotion in Arizona". NBC News. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Vakil, Caroline (November 9, 2024). "Gallego defeats Lake in Arizona Senate race". The Hill. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Cooper, Jonathan J. (November 12, 2024). "Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona US Senate race against Republican Kari Lake". Associated Press. Retrieved November 12, 2024.