Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego announces Senate bid in challenge to Kyrsten Sinema

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona on Monday announced his campaign for US Senate, setting up a potential 2024 clash with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently switched her party affiliation from Democrat to independent.

Gallego, a Phoenix-area congressman and retired Marine who served in Iraq, released a video of him telling a group of fellow veterans about his decision to run.

“You’re the first group of people that are hearing this besides my family. I will be challenging Kyrsten Sinema for the United States Senate, and I need all of your support,” Gallego, 43, told the group at a veterans organization in Guadalupe, Arizona.

...snip...

“Most families feel that they are one or two paychecks away from going under. That is not the way that we should be living in this country,” Gallego said in his announcement video. “The rich and the powerful, they don’t need more advocates. It’s the people that are still trying to decide between groceries and utilities that need a fighter for them.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/politics/ruben-gallego-arizona-senate-kyrsten-sinema

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Link to tweet

[BlueTsunami2018]

1. Good. We need to be rid of her ASAP.

I wonder how she’s going to react to this. I expect nothing but the worst.

[Justice matters.]

36. Too bad there's no way to "recall" her (or is there one?)

"switching affiliation" during one's term should trigger a recall.

[Trueblue1968]

39. i hope he gets 405838597 more votes than the (Not REALLY a Dem) Middle Age Barbie

[moreland01]

2. Bravo!

Great kick-off video! I think Arizona will like him better than Sinema. Now who is going to take his place in the House?

[oldsoftie]

3. Does AZ have a runoff if nobody gets 50%?

Because if not, I'm afraid the GOP could take back this seat in a 3 way race.

[jimfields33]

5. They definitely do not have run off elections. Winner takes all.

It’s all up to senator Sinema. Time will answer whether she runs or not. I think by summer’s end we’ll know.

[oldsoftie]

31. Well, I dont know why she'd change affiliations if she WASNT going to.

Why bother?

[quakerboy]

40. It gives her the best position to grift

She knows she cant win. Not as a dem, not as an independant.

But she can try to play kingmaker.

If she runs, its possible she can pull enough dem support to let the republican win. If she doesnt, she doesnt. So.. she will want to get paid. Who will pay more? Who knows, i guess we will see.

[machoneman]

4. I'm sure Sinema doesn't care. As many have noted here and in the media, she's slated herself...

...to eventually join some RW Pacs or think tanks (as if any R's even think anymore!) or become a media talking head. No kidding, she's gotten so, so much money from mainly R wing organizations, R leaning corporations and R wing leaning pharma firms she doesn't need a low paying Senators job at all. Also, I bet she will not even file to run again as she'd need to spend some of that moola.

Just watch......

[LaMouffette]

10. Yes, good points, but what good will Sinema be to the Repubes if she isn't a "Democratic"

senator in Congress? If she no longer has the power to sabotage the good legislation Dems try to pass?

[nwliberalkiwi]

6. Independent vs Democrat

Will he be able to challenge her if she is an Independent and he is a Democrat?

[SharonClark]

8. In the General Election but not in a Primary.

[FoxNewsSucks]

7. Great news!

I hope he gives her a well-earned political ass-whooping

[niyad]

9. Very good ad.

[NBachers]

11. Donate here

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ruben-gallego-2

[Zambero]

12. A Gallego-Sinema-Lake match-up in 2024?

Or, perhaps Sinema doesn't run as Indie in the 2024 GE and it's down to Gallego-Lake?

I like Gallego's chances in the latter. He gets the support of the left and the lion's share of moderate/independent voters.

In the former 3-way race scenario, with the right solidifying for Lake, would independent voters tend to split the vote between Gallego and Sinema, providing Lake with an advantage? I see that being a closer split than a 2-way race.

[FakeNoose]

13. He can win the Dem primary, but he wouldn't face her until the general election

Kyrsten Sinema won't be running in the Democratic primary race.

I hope Reuben Gallego knocks her down a peg, or several pegs for that matter. I don't believe Sinema will have the support of either party when she tries to win another 6-year term. She's done.

[brooklynite]

14. Why do you assume she won't run in the Democratic Primary?

[bottomofthehill]

15. Because she changed parties so she would not have to run

In the democratic primary.

[brooklynite]

23. No, she changed Parties and said nothing about how she would run for re-election.

Bernie Sanders has run for the Democratic nomination in VT despite being an Independent.

[bottomofthehill]

25. St Bernie of Burlington can do that in a very small state with few voters.

The rules to get on the ballot in Arizona are much more complicated. There are requirements of signatures per district, total number of signatures and then having to actually win the primary by a voter base that generally dislikes her but where she is despised by many. As a Democrat, this is a high hill to climb for her.

As an independent, the party to which she switched to at the beginning of this election cycle, she only needs signatures to get on the ballot. As long as no other independent gets the necessary signatures, she is on the ballot alone.

[News Junkie]

28. Happen to know how many she needs as an Independent?

Hoping it's a tough threshold.

[grantcart]

30. She doesn't have a chance the Democratic Party primary

The hypothetical ham sandwich would beat her. I can't emphasize enough how she is hated by the party here.

If she runs as an independent she will draw more R votes than D.

His announcement video is beyond brilliant and he will capture a very high Hispanic vote including conservative Hispanics.

I think he can win the General. My guess is Sinema doesn't run.

[Polybius]

33. She won't draw more R votes that D votes

She's too socially liberal to garner more than 5% of Republicans. 10-15% of Democrats will support her.

[grantcart]

38. Arizona is very liberal socially no cares about that

When she ran for Senate not one word was said about her sexuality. It was common knowledge that her Republican opponent is gay.

There has already been polling out that running against a generic R and a generic D she would pull equally from R and D and she would be in third place.

But she won't be running against generic candidates. Gallego will be very popular among Democrats, and the R will be a nutjob i.e. Ward or Lake.

Gallego's theme of pursuing the American dream (video) is going ignite the Hispanic population even conservative Hispanics.

Sinema was really never really popular even in the Democratic party. Gabby cleared the field for her. I spent hundreds of hours on her Senate campaign and the main motivation was keeping the Republican out. She burned a lot of bridges by not doing basic things. Volunteers never got a thank you, no celebration party and no chance to meet the candidate at a meet and greet. She is a spectacularly bad retail campaigner and has built up no reservoir of affection in the party. AFAIK she makes no Arizona visits as Senator and has made more trips to Europe than Phoenix over the last 4 years. She would be humiliated in a landslide if she ran in the Dem party. All of her consultants (ie fundraiser infrastructure) have abandoned her.

[Polybius]

32. Only when he ran for President

When he didn't win the nomination (both times), he switched back. Sinema is not switching back. She would lose the Democratic primary, and that's why she switched in the first place.

[Fiendish Thingy]

22. If she runs in the primary and loses, she can't run as an independent in the general

She’s not going to “UN-independent” herself to run in a primary she’s sure to lose.

She’d much rather be a spoiler in the general.

[igorman]

27. she would be wasting her time and money

She can't win a primary.

[quakerboy]

41. Why would she? It would be throwing away her last chance to benefit from her position.

She would lose a democratic primary, and then be barred from being on the general election ballot.

She would have to spend money to be humiliated.. and it would literally get her nothing that she wouldnt have without doing so.

Conversely if she skips that she has the option to run as an independent. And solicit donations and or job offers from those who dont want her to run, and those who do want her to run.

[bottomofthehill]

16. I posted this on another thread in this but this is my fear.

Marc Kelly got 51.4 percent of the vote in a 3 way race that was really 2 main parties and a +/-2% person

The Republican High Water Mark is about 46.5 percent

If she (Sinema) holds on to 7 of her supporters, a republican gets elected. George Santos could pull 7 percent if he ran today in NY, She will pull 7%. She is garbage, an attention whore, a stain, you say it she is it, but, she has figured this out. if not her, a republican.

think of it this way

Blake Masters 46.5
Ruben Gallego 46.0
Kristin Sinema >7

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. I would not be too surprised if Sinema grabs a fair number of Republican votes

If the Republicans run Lake or someone like her. Some Republicans just can't bring themselves to vote for a Democrat, so they hold their nose and vote for a far right winger instead even if they think they are too extreme for their taste. Sinema running as an Independent becomes an option for them.

[former9thward]

20. It all depends on the R candidate.

I don't think the R high water mark is 46.5. With the right candidate they would go much higher. Masters was a flawed candidate who no one had heard of before the primary. I think Ducey would easily get 55 to 60%.

[bottomofthehill]

24. You are right, Ducey did get to 55 percent

In a 3 way race, he is clearly the most dangerous.

[Polybius]

34. "The Republican High Water Mark is about 46.5 percent"

Not really. Blake had no personality and ran a bad campaign. Crazy Kari Lake got over 49%. I think she would do better than Masters in that race.

I also think Sinema can get more than 7%, but who's knows? It's all guess work at this point.

[appalachiablue]

18. I hope he makes it, we need more legislators like this. Great background & ad.

[lees1975]

19. The effects of population growth is bringing a political shift to Arizona.

I was born in Phoenix, raised in Tucson and have been watching Arizona politics for 40 years, the first 35 being relatively disappointing with very few bright spots for Democrats. As long as Maricopa County remained even marginally Republican, combined with the rural parts of the state that are heavily Republican, the GOP had the advantage. But Maricopa County's population growth has shifted it to the left, and in the last two election cycles, Democrats have won there by around 50,000 votes, which is decisive. Population growth from California, the Northeast and in the Latino community have been responsible for the shift. The eleven rural counties that are majority Republican add up to about a million and a half people, and they are balanced out by Pima County, which has just over a million people, and two rural counties, Coconino and Santa Cruz, which are about half a million, all three are majority Democrat. So Republicans won statewide on the Maricopa County margins, which are now slightly more Democratic.

Two more years, and the population growth will bring those Democratic margins up considerably. The vast majority of population growth is in Maricopa and Pima, and in Pinal County, south of Maricopa, where the percentage of Democratic voters is up 7% in less than a decade. In a Presidential election year, it's likely that Democratic voter margins in Maricopa county will exceed the 100,000 mark which will benefit Rueben Gallego's Senate run, along with a good shot at picking up two marginal house districts and the state legislature. So I think it's a good time for someone like Gallego to run. He will also take most independents and some moderate GOP.

[Fiendish Thingy]

21. Donating today! Nt

[republianmushroom]

26. like it

[Warpy]

29. Yes, please. Ruben Gallegos is a solid Democrat

and I think Sinema has had enough time to get rich quick, time to land her back out in the private sector, undoubtedly as a consultant, meaning connection hound for dirty deals with corrupt politicians.

He's got a real shot at this, he's well known in AZ and the people who put Sinema into office are totally disgusted with her.

[aax]

35. Just donated to Rueben

Only a few bucks but it's important to show support in his effort to unseat Sinema.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

37. Donating soon! nt