Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego has started airing the first television ads of his Arizona U.S. Senate campaign.
FILE - Democrat Ruben Gallego talks to reporters outside the Silicon Valley Bank office in Tempe, Ariz., Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Gallego began airing the first television ads of his U.S. Senate campaign on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, as the crucial Arizona race takes shape as a one-on-one contest after incumbent Kyrsten Sinema declined to run for a second term. began airing the first television ads of his U.S.
Gallego is emphasizing his military service and financially humble upbringing as he looks to expand his stature beyond the safely Democratic district in Phoenix that he's represented since 2015. In his ad, Gallego says he worked as a cook and a janitor growing up and got into Harvard University with no money or connections. He also makes an oblique reference to his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after returning from Iraq, saying he “survived the memories of war so I can be a good dad.”, the front-runner for the Republican nomination, who is especially well known after a nearly three-decade career as a local news anchor in the Phoenix market.
Republicans need a net gain of one or two seats to control the Senate, depending on which party controls the White House after the November election. Arizona has long been a Republican stronghold, but Sinema's 2018 election marked a period of ascendance for Democrats. They've now won three straight Senate races along with the state's top three offices with a coalition that includes right-leaning voters who typically vote Republican but dislike Trump.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.