Arizona Senate candidate Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has lost his court battle over the release of his personal divorce records, a dispute that landed in front of the state’s Supreme Court.
The court denied Gallego’s motion for a stay, and the records are expected to be released on Thursday. They will detail the divorce proceedings between Gallego and his ex-wife, Kate, who is the mayor of Phoenix.
Gallego’s Republican Senate opponent, Kari Lake, insists that he’s “hiding something bad.” The Democratic lawmaker said he wants the records to stay sealed due to concerns that his son’s privacy would be violated.
“We have a son who did not choose to run for office, but we need to protect him and his privacy, and that’s all we’ve been asking this whole time,” Gallego told NBC News. “Kari Lake and her allies know that because the judge told them there’s nothing there, and yet they continue to attack, and of course we’re worried.”
I asked Rep. Gallego why he & his ex-wife, Mayor Kate Gallego, are fighting to keep their divorce records sealed (Oct 6):
“We are doing this because we are trying to protect our son.. We know that if she [Lake] gets any information about our son, she will release it.” @NBCNews https://t.co/9a4vgtXKQ5 pic.twitter.com/5OnMkgGybe
— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) October 17, 2024
Eliana Johnson, the editor in chief of the Washington Free Beacon, which sued to unseal the records, celebrated the court’s decision in a post on X.
“The Free Beacon has prevailed in its lawsuit against Ruben Gallego in which we’ve sought to unseal his divorce records. The Arizona Supreme Court had the final word tonight and denied Gallego’s motion for a stay,” Johnson wrote. “Thank you to our lawyers Michael Edney and Cory Stuart for their tireless work on this.”
While Lake is not involved in the court case, she’s taken considerable interest in it. In an appearance on Newsmax, Lake said she thinks there’s “something really, really bad in those records that we think should be revealed.”
Kate and Ruben Gallego announced their split in 2016. Kate Gallego endorsed her former husband in his Senate bid.
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The Arizona Senate race is critical to both parties in their quest to have control of the Senate. Both candidates debated on Oct. 9, with some believing Lake had a strong performance.
Ruben Gallego maintains a polling edge. According to RealClearPolitics’s polling average in the race, the congressman leads by 6.4 points, 49.4% to 43%.