Gallego says ‘some senators’ have encouraged him to run against Sinema  

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said on Wednesday that “some senators” and “a lot of House representatives” have encouraged him to run against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in 2024, after she announced she’s jumping ship from the Democratic Party.

“There’s been some senators that have encouraged me to run. I wouldn’t say [they said] ‘you better run,’ but there are some senators, some of Sinema’s colleagues, that are encouraging me to run. A lot of House members want me to run,” Gallego told CBS News, without naming any lawmakers.

Just days after the Democrats secured a 51-49 split in the Senate with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s (D) win in Georgia, Sinema announced her exit from the party, saying she’s “never fit neatly into any party box.” 

Her vote in the Senate, like the votes of fellow independent Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine), remains crucial to Democrats’ control of the upper chamber.  

Gallego last week swung at Sinema over her affiliation switch, accusing the senator of “putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans.” 

Gallego on Wednesday said he’ll weigh the opinions of Arizonans and his family in making a decision on whether to run, but that he’ll also factor in the encouraging feedback from those in Congress.  

The Arizona lawmaker, considered a leading potential primary challenger for Sinema even before her party switch, said he thinks the senators who’ve expressed private support for him would “absolutely” get behind him publicly if he ran for the seat.  

Gallego has said he’ll make a call on whether to get in the 2024 ring after the holidays, but he noted that his team has been preparing so he can hit the ground running “without any lag time” if he does decide to run.