U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego says he’s considering running for president

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego is weighing a 2028 presidential run, arguing that he is one of the few Democrats who has won in a red state.

“There’s only a couple of Democrats that are thinking of running for president that have won red states. I’m one of them,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Friday. “There’s only a couple of Democrats who can speak to working-class Democrats, especially Latino men. I’m one of them.”

He made the comment while discussing the dismissed ethics complaint filed against him by U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, followed by the Justice Department investigation that Gallego said began an hour after Luna’s complaint was dismissed.

He has previously said he believes President Donald Trump’s administration is “afraid” and is targeting him, particularly after the downfall of former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell whom he once considered a friend.

Swalwell resigned from Congress in April and abandoned his campaign for California governor amid multiple sexual assault allegations, which he has denied.

“They saw that as an opening and, like, ‘Let’s get him now,’ hoping that something would show up. But guess what? Nothing showed up, so they’re just trying to kind of dogpile on with more and more misinformation,” Gallego said.

Ruben Gallego can’t say with 100% certainty that he will run for president

He wouldn’t say that he was “deeply” serious about his potential run; he described it as a more “surface-level” consideration.

“We’re thinking about it, right? My first hurdle is: I have three children, and I do have a challenge of figuring out how to balance my time with them and my job and potentially running for office,” Gallego said.

Whether he runs depends on finding that balance, he said, and on other factors he didn’t specify.

It’s not his first time publicly addressing the possibility of a presidential run. Three months ago, when asked if he would run for president, he laughed and said he is most focused on affordability and bringing prices down.

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