By Matthew Holloway |
In a social media post that has garnered wide speculation, Arizona Democrat Senator Ruben Gallego announced that he’s headed for Iowa to hold a Quad Cities Townhall meeting and is expected to appear at the State Fair in Des Moines as part of a two-day tour on August 8th and 9th. Gallego’s staff told the Des Moines Register that the Senator intends to discuss the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he refers to as the “disastrous budget bill.”
Given that his visit follows one from 2028 Democrat Presidential hopeful and former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in May, it appears likely that Gallego is testing the waters in the 2028 shadow primary that is unfolding in Iowa.
The Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts seemed to share the assessment that Gallego is eyeing the presidency in an op-ed published on Thursday in which she cited a video released by Gallego in which crowds are chanting for him set to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Roberts wrote that on August 8th, Gallego “will make the ritual trip of any politician who dreams of becoming president — to the Iowa State Fair to gobble down corn dogs and gobble up some attention.” She quipped that the 45-year-old first-term Senator “thinks Iowa can make him a star… He’s not. Not yet anyway. But he’s clearly hoping to become one.”
Commentary on his post to X alternated between condemnation for “already eyeing his next job,” to critics asking, “Do you ever do your job for your own damn state?”
Gallego’s chief of staff, Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, told the Register in a statement, “Like most Iowans, Ruben Gallego didn’t grow up having things handed to him — he had to work hard and pay his dues. That’s why he’s headed to the Hawkeye State to call out those who backed Trump’s billionaire tax scam at the expense of Iowa’s good, hard-working people. Ruben’s not afraid to say the quiet part out loud: that Iowa families are getting screwed, and Iowans deserve leaders who will fight for them every single day.”
Turning Point Action’s Jeanette Garcia called the move, “Embarrassing.”
Gallego’s 2024 Republican opponent for Senate, Kari Lake, weighed in writing, “This guy has only been in the Senate for about 15 minutes, and he’s already looking for his next position. I love the people of Iowa. I love the people of Arizona. And they both deserve better than Ruben Gallego.”
Former AZGOP Exec, Member-at-Large Christian Lamar responded quipping, “Ruben Gallego is the blueprint for another useless politician, who squats in office and moves up to another higher office. Gallego actually believes he’s more popular than Kamala Harris.”
Emerson College polling released in June seemed to disagree though, determining that former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stands to be the leading contender in a potential 2028 DNC Primary followed by Former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Gallego didn’t appear among the 15 potential candidates.
In May, prior to speaking to voters in Pennsylvania at a similar speaking event, Gallego seemed to demure from talk of a 2028 Presidential Run in comments to NBC News when he called the question of a presidential run “a land mine,” adding, “Has it ever crossed my mind? F—ing of course, I’m an elected official, it crosses my mind. Am I thinking about it right now? Absolutely not.”
However, Gallego boasted, “Big donors, big organizations, well-known political big Democratic operatives that have encouraged me to run. I’m not denying that.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
