The Ascent Of Ruben Gallego— How The Party Mistook Ambition For Substance

The Gallego Illusion: From Firebrand To Empty Brand

Journalists throw around terms like “rising star” without much thought. Sometimes a savvy publicist gets the ball rolling in one or two well-placed articles and after that, lazy writers just follow along without much thought. Yesterday, WMUR’s political director, Adam Sexton, referred to Ruben Gallego as “a rising star in the Democratic Party.” I’ve been following Gallego’s political career since he was a member of the Arizona state legislature and since he first won election to Congress in 2014 in an open seat in Arizona’s bluest district when Ed Pastor retired beating the progressive choice, Mary Rose Wilcox in the primary.

He joined the Progressive Caucus and generally voted along with them on big issues like women’s Choice and Medicare-for-All. But around the edges… a little too close for comfort with corporate lobbyists, with AIPAC and with the crypto-cartel. He never really seemed like a progressive at heart, just one for convenience and, since being elected to the Senate last year— with over $10 million in help from the crypto-cartel— he’s run up one of the least progressive voting records of any Democrat in the Senate, almost identical with conservative Democrats Jeanne Shaheen (NH), John Fetterman (PA), Maggie Hassan (NH) and Elissa Slotkin (MI).

Gallego talks a populist game, but when it comes to power, he knows which side he wants to be on. He didn’t just accept money from the crypto industry— he became one of its top champions in Congress, working behind the scenes to water down regulations that would protect ordinary investors from scams and volatility. His record on labor is similarly muddy: plenty of photo ops with union members, but few moments where he stuck his neck out for working people in ways that challenged the Democratic leadership or upset corporate donors. Like so many careerists in both parties, Gallego has mastered the art of progressive branding while voting like a centrist— and governing like a triangulator.

Suddenly, out of the blue, journalists started touting him as a potential presidential contender. Huh? Ruben Gallego— a well-known, at least in DC— drunkard and womanizer? Not a rising star and not a potential anything. But he announced he’s visiting New Hampshire next month, an attempt to drum up more coverage touting him as someone who could run for president.

His chief of staff told Sexton the canned story: that Gallego “was raised by a single mom, put himself through college, and chose service over comfort— first as a Marine, now as a public servant. He believes everyone deserves a fair shot, not a system rigged by Republicans to protect elites and screw over working families. That’s why he’s going to New Hampshire: to stand with the people who’ve been sold out, speak some hard truths, and listen to Granite Staters about the challenges they face.”

“Gallego,” wrote Sexton, “is also slated to visit Iowa in August and has already traveled to states like Pennsylvania and Alaska. While his team says he is taking a ‘go anywhere, talk to anyone’ approach to re-energizing Democrats, the senator's itinerary is fueling speculation about a potential 2028 presidential run.”

I asked several of his old colleagues in the House about Gallego. No one wanted to be quoted by name but one senior member said pretty much what everyone was saying: “Started out as a fiery liberal, evolved into an identity politician. Very self-righteous. Essentially ineffective in Congress, so he made himself out to be a war hero (a fat war hero) instead. Cheated on his wife (a nice person) and destroyed his marriage. Played his cards extremely well to get the party to support his promotion, when there was a lot of concern about him. Doesn’t make many mistakes, but doesn’t go out on a limb, either. Has no causes other than himself.”

The last sentence is literally what every single person in DC I spoke with about Gallego said about him: “Has no causes other than himself.” If Gallego is what passes for a rising star, it says more about the decline of the Democratic Party’s ambition than about his talent or leadership. At a moment when the country needs boldness, vision and moral courage, he offers none of the above… just another consultant-approved narrative and a hollow brand. The danger isn’t just that someone like Gallego might run for president. It’s that the party might be shallow enough to fall for it.