Ruben Gallego

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]

Gallego in 2013

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]

Gallego during a Natural Resources Committee meeting in 2020

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]

On February 9, 2023, Gallego voted against H.J.Res. 24: Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 which condemns the District of Columbia’s plan that would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.[35][36]

Gallego speaking to a U.S. Army officer in 2017

Gallego supported efforts to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell.[37] 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.[38]

Gallego during the
114th Congress

Gallego opposes the privatization of Social Security. He also opposes allowing people to put Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts.[39] As of October 2021, Gallego had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[40]

The logo for Gallego's Senate campaign.

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.[44]

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.[45]

Gallego married Sydney Barron in 2021.[46][47] Barron is a lobbyist for National Association of Realtors.[48] 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.[49]

Gallego served in the Marines Third Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marine Regiment, Lima Company, in the Iraq War. This battalion suffered the most casulties of any battalion. He wrote They Called Us "Lucky": The Life and Afterlife of the Iraq War's Hardest Hit Unit, published in 2021.[50]

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ruben Gallego.

• Representative Ruben Gallego official U.S. House website
• Gallego for Arizona campaign website
• Ruben Gallego at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart