Rubén Gallego | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Arizona | |
Assumed office January 3, 2025 Serving with Mark Kelly | |
Preceded by | Kyrsten Sinema |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona | |
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2025 | |
Preceded by | Ed Pastor |
Succeeded by | Yassamin Ansari |
Constituency | 7th district (2015–2023) 3rd district (2023–2025) |
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 November 20, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouses |
|
Children | 2 |
Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Website | |
Military service | |
Branch/service | |
Years of service | 2002–2013 |
Rank | Lance Corporal |
Unit | 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Rubén Marinelarena Gallego (/ˈruːbən ɡaɪˈɛɡoʊ/ ROO-bən gy-EH-goh; born November 20, 1979) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Arizona. A member of the Democratic Party, Gallego served from 2015 to 2025 as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district. He was also a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, where he was assistant minority leader from 2012 until he resigned to run for Congress. Gallego was first elected to Congress in 2014. His district included most of southern, western, and downtown Phoenix and part of Glendale.
Gallego served as the national chair of Eric Swalwell's 2020 presidential campaign.[1] A progressive politician, Gallego was critical of Senator Kyrsten Sinema for her opposition to abolishing the filibuster and votes against certain Democratic legislation. By the time he ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024, he had distanced himself from the label "progressive".[2] Democratic Party members and liberal organizations encouraged him to run against Sinema, and in January 2023, he announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Arizona. As Sinema did not seek reelection, Gallego won the Democratic nomination unopposed. In the general election he defeated the Republican nominee, Kari Lake.[3] He is the first Latino to be elected to represent Arizona in the United States Senate.[4] After taking office on January 3, 2025, he became one of the first two Colombian-American U.S. senators, along with Bernie Moreno of Ohio.