Ruben Gallego facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ruben Gallego
Official portrait, 2022
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona
Incumbent
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 (1979-11-20) November 20, 1979 (age 44) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Kate Widland ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2017)​ Sydney Barron ​ (m. 2021)​
Children	2
Residences	Phoenix, Arizona, Washington D.C.
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
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 ɡaɪˈɛɡoʊ/ ROO-bən-_-gy-EH-goh; born November 20, 1979) is an American politician who formerly served as a U.S. Marine and now serves as 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 first 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. Gallego served and deployed as a USMCR Corporal during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gallego is a candidate for the United States Senate seat currently held by Democrat-turned-independent Kyrsten Sinema in 2024.

Early life and education

Gallego was born in Chicago, and is a second-generation American, with a Colombian mother and a Mexican father.

Along with his three sisters, he was raised by a single mother. The family eventually moved to Evergreen Park, Illinois, and he graduated from Evergreen Park Community High School.

Gallego attended Harvard University, where he became a member of Sigma Chi and earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations.

Career

Gallego in 2013

After college, Gallego joined the Marines. After completing training in the School of Infantry (SOI), he deployed to Iraq with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. 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.

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.

In 2011, The Arizona Republic named Gallego a distinguished freshman lawmaker. His first successful bill granted in-state tuition status to veterans residing in Arizona. Gallego supported the repeal of Arizona SB 1070. In 2012, Gallego was elected assistant minority leader.

Gallego founded the group Citizens for Professional Law Enforcement with the goal of recalling Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, citing Arpaio's immigration policies and his use of taxpayer money to investigate Barack Obama's citizenship.

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.

U.S. House of Representatives

Gallego during the 114th Congress

Elections

Gallego speaking at a rally for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016

On February 27, 2014, Gallego announced his candidacy for Congress in Arizona's 7th congressional district. 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.

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. 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.

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. He is the second Colombian American elected to the U.S. House after Republican Scott Perry.

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. He announced his candidacy on January 23, 2023.

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations (Ranking Member)
  • Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries

Caucus memberships

• Blue Collar Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Congressional Equality Caucus
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• House Baltic Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus

Political positions

Gallego during a Natural Resources Committee meeting in 2020

In November 2020, the House of Representatives passed Gallego's bill, the Proper and Reimbursed Care for Native Veterans Act, which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense to reimburse healthcare provided for Native veterans, regardless of whether the healthcare was provided by, or referred by, the Indian Health Service or tribes.

In May 2021, the House passed Gallego's bill, the Native VetSuccess at Tribal Colleges and Universities Pilot Program Act, to provide more government funding for the Veteran Technology Education Course, increase veteran housing benefits, and allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to form partnerships with other organizations to reduce veteran homelessness.

In July 2021, it was reported that a corporate lobbying group called the U.S.-Qatar Business Council paid for a $22,000 trip to Qatar for Gallego and his wife, who is a lobbyist for the National Association of Realtors. Commentators noted that Gallego had previously criticized Senator Kyrsten Sinema for allegedly being too close to business lobbyists.

Gallego opposed the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, describing the decision as "rolling back women's rights".

In February 2022, Gallego called for expelling every Russian university student from the United States, prompting commentators to denounce these remarks as bigoted and xenophobic.

On February 9, 2023, Gallego voted against overturning the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which would allow noncitizens to vote in local elections in the District of Columbia.

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

Gallego during the
114th Congress

As of April 2023, Gallego had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.

In September 2023, the House passed Gallego's bill, the Native American Child Protection Act, which aims to set up the National Indian Child Resource and Family Services Center to assist and train tribes, tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations, and also aims to come up with state-tribe agreements to prevent, investigate and prosecute family violence.

Gallego voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

2024 U.S. Senate campaign

The logo for Gallego's Senate campaign.

On January 22, 2023, Gallego announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in 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. Gallego raised more money than Sinema in the first two quarters of 2023.

In 2022, Gallego bought a home near Capitol Hill using a special mortgage loan program for military veterans. He claimed the District of Columbia home as his primary residence although his campaign maintains that he resides in his Phoenix home. Gallego receives a homeowner rebate in Arizona that lowers the tax burdens for residents who primarily live in the state. Politico noted that Gallego "may have to explain why he declared he was primarily a resident of the nation's capital."

Personal life

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.

In 2010, Gallego married Kate Widland Gallego, who was later elected mayor of Phoenix. They divorced in 2017, just before the birth of their son.

Gallego married Sydney Barron in 2021. Barron is a lobbyist for the National Association of Realtors. They have a daughter who was born in July 2023.

Gallego wrote They Called Us "Lucky": The Life and Afterlife of the Iraq War's Hardest Hit Unit, published in 2021, about his service in the Marines Third Battalion, Twenty-Fifth Marine Regiment, Lima Company, during the Iraq War.

Electoral history

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

See also

In Spanish: Ruben Gallego para niños

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