Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego signaled he is changing his mind about a potential 2028 presidential run.
On Sunday, Gallego told NBC News he’d “have to look at” a possible campaign in the Democratic Party’s primaries. A little over seven months ago, he had indicated he was leaning against running.
Since then, he has vocally criticized immigration enforcement under the Trump administration and the war with Iran. He has also visited presidential swing state Nevada after earlier visits to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
In his comments to NBC News, Gallego said Democrats who won in red states during the 2024 election should more seriously consider presidential campaigns.
In that year, Gallego won his Senate race in Arizona while Democrat Kamala Harris lost the presidential contest in the state. Almost 100,000 more Arizonans voted for Gallego than for Harris.
Since joining the U.S. Senate, Gallego has carved a somewhat idiosyncratic path: largely sticking to the party line while deviating on certain issues, endorsing middle-of-the-road moderates in some races while backing anti-establishment firebrands in others.
Gallego told NBC News that Democratic candidates hoping to win the presidency in 2028 will have to win at least 62% of Latino votes.
According to exit polls, Gallego won 60% of Latino votes in his 2024 Arizona Senate run, significantly outperforming Harris. He has [pointed](
to Latino public opinion as a reason for his political positions.
The senator with parents from Colombia and Mexico “innately” understands that Latino voters don’t automatically choose Democrats, said Aaron Marquez, a Democratic state legislator and vice chair of the Arizona Democratic Party.
“We have to treat all of them as ‘persuasion voters,’ really, and make a strong case to build a relationship with folks, not just the last 90 days before the election, but throughout the election cycle,” he said.
Marquez said Gallego’s Senate run was notable for its social events — car shows, carne asadas, boxing watch parties — that built community beyond typical Democratic constituencies.
“You saw people show up at things because they were more social events than just coming to hear a politician speak,” he said.
Arizona’s other U.S. Senator, Democrat Mark Kelly, has also floated a possible 2028 presidential campaign. Kelly has used his high-profile feud with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to amass a sizable war chest that he’s used to support down-ballot candidates, Politico reported.
