PHOENIX — Congressman Ruben Gallego has been hinting for months about a potential run for the U.S. Senate.
On Monday, he made it official announcing his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 2024.
It sets up a potential challenge with Senator Kyrsten Sinema who left the Democratic Party to become an Independent.
Congressman Gallego's announcement video was released Monday on Twitter. A Harvard graduate, and a Marine veteran who served in Iraq, Gallego says he is the product of the American Dream. Committed to fighting for the working class is something the Congressman says Senator Sinema doesn't do anymore. "She stopped talking to her constituents. She stopped fighting, more importantly, for her constituents. she was more likely fighting for the people who already have power," Gallego said during an interview with ABC 15.
While Senator Sinema will not be running in the Democratic primary, political consultant Chuck Coughlin, the CEO of Highground INC, says there is no question she will be the focus of attention for Gallego.
"I think this is going to be a pretty brutal period of time between Ruben and the Senator," Coughlin said. "His primary is going to be about beating up on her and making her as irrelevant to Democratic voters so he can gather that 90% of Democratic votes he will need to win a race."
Sinema's defense of the filibuster, voting against raising the federal minimum wage and campaign contributions she's received from Big Pharma are all signs, Gallego says the Senator has abandoned Arizona. "Voters care about who is going to fight for them. Who understands what I am. Who understands what I'm going through and who do I trust," Gallego said.
In a general election, Coughlin believes Sinema's work on infrastructure, water security and the Respect for Marriage Act will help with the coalition of Republican, Democrat and Independent voters Sinema needs to win.
Gallego's focus will be on those Arizonans who feel left behind. "We've done the math," Coughlin said, "We think she needs somewhere between 20%-25% of the Democratic and Republican votes along with 60% of the Independent vote. That adds up to about 43% of the electorate. That's a win."
In an interview on KTAR last week, Senator Sinema said, "I'm not really thinking or talking about the election right now, although others are. I'm staying focused on the work."
On Saturday, Arizona's Republican Party elects its new chair to replace Kelli Ward, a leader in Arizona's Stop the Steal Movement.
So far, no Republican has announced a run for Arizona's Senate seat.
Whether it's a MAGA or a more mainstream candidate that emerges from a Republican primary remains to be seen, only adding to the national curiosity of what is sure to be one the nation's most high-profile Senate races.
