Arizona Senate: Ruben Gallego nets endorsement of ex-wife after ‘deadbeat dad’ attacks

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is endorsing her ex-husband, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), for Senate, one month after the National Republican Senatorial Committee released an ad calling the congressman a “deadbeat dad.”

In a statement shared with the Washington Examiner, the mayor praised the congressman’s commitment to “building a brighter future for Arizona” in the race for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema‘s (I-AZ) seat.

“We have real challenges facing our state that require a leader who is dedicated to fighting for working families and the most vulnerable. He’ll do an excellent job working for all of us as our next senator,” wrote Mayor Gallego, who took office in 2019.

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In response to the endorsement, the congressman wrote, “On top of being an incredible leader in our community, Kate is the best mom that our son could ask for and I’m truly honored to have her support.”

Ruben and Kate Gallego married in 2010 and separated in December 2016. They have one son together, Michael, who was born in early 2017. Last month, the NRSC released a new ad titled “A Choice,” diving into his personal life and highlighting his divorce weeks before his first child was born.

The 30-second ad blasted “rotten Ruben Gallego,” who “abandoned his wife when she was nearly nine months pregnant, then married a D.C. lobbyist.” The ad closes by calling him a “deadbeat dad” without any evidence.

When the ad came out a month ago, some in the state predicted the personal attack could backfire, describing the congressman’s relationship with his ex-wife as “cordial.”

“I don’t think that was a very effective piece. The mayor of Phoenix, who is [Gallego’s] ex-wife, I think will end up endorsing him,” Chuck Coughlin, a longtime Arizona operative who is the CEO and founder of the Phoenix-based firm HighGround, said at the time.

Such an attack was also risky for the committee, as Gallego is a former U.S. Marine and veteran of the Iraq War and has blamed the end of his first marriage on mental struggles following his deployment.

Gallego is the presumptive Democratic nominee after he announced his bid in January. Sinema has not yet said whether she is running. The leading Republican challenger, Kari Lake, a polarizing conservative who lost her election for governor last year, also hit at Gallego’s personal life on X, formerly known as Twitter, a couple of months ago.

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In an exchange over abortion laws, the former news anchor responded to one of Gallego’s posts criticizing her stance on the topic by saying, “Ruben, you left your wife when she was 9 months pregnant. Maybe you should sit this one out.”

A recent poll from Tulchin Research shows Gallego leading the hypothetical three-way Senate race with 39% support, followed by Lake with 34%, and Sinema in last place, with 17% support.