Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said he is considering a run for president in 2028, telling NBC News that Democrats from states former President Donald Trump won in 2024 'have to look at' entering the race. The first-term senator made the comments in an interview ahead of a speech to the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association's annual dinner in Chicago last week.
Gallego, 46, a Marine Corps veteran and Harvard University graduate, pointed to his appeal with Latino voters as among the reasons he would consider a White House bid. He noted that any Democratic nominee in 2028 will need to win back the Latino vote, which he said must reach at least 62% — what he called the 'Pass Go' line on the Monopoly board. In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris carried Latino voters 51%-46%, down from Democrats' 65%-32% margin in 2020.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive Democrats and Latino political organizations have welcomed Gallego's potential candidacy as a way to reconnect with a key voting bloc that drifted from the party. Gallego's background — growing up on Chicago's South Side with a single mother, working construction jobs as a teen — positions him as a candidate who can appeal to working-class voters, supporters say.
At the HACIA dinner, Gallego emphasized Latino contributions to America. 'Latinos are patriots. We have loved this country, even if this country does not fully love us,' he said. He argued that connecting with Latino voters requires talking about the American Dream, getting ahead and not wanting handouts. 'We built this country during Covid... It was Latino hands that kept going to those fields and picking the food of this country when everyone else had the option of staying home,' he told the audience.
Gallego's positions on immigration and Israel distinguish him from some progressive Democrats. He supports reforming ICE rather than abolishing it, arguing that 'we know there needs to be an immigration force that deports bad people.' On Israel, he supports defensive weapons funding but opposes offensive capabilities. Some liberal Democrats have criticized these positions, but Gallego has stuck with them.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have quickly seized on Gallego's potential candidacy, arguing that his positions — particularly on immigration and Israel — expose divisions within the Democratic Party. Conservative critics note that Gallego's support for any immigration enforcement puts him at odds with progressive activists who have pushed to abolish ICE.
Gallego's relatively short tenure in the Senate — just one year — is also likely to be a point of attack. Republicans successfully portrayed his 2024 Senate race against Republican Kari Lake as extreme, and they would likely amplify that narrative in a presidential contest. His Harvard education and background could also be weaponized by conservative opponents who frame him as an out-of-touch elite.
Questions about his political viability persist. While Gallego won his Senate race in Arizona, a state Trump carried in 2024, he did so in a favorable Democratic year. A national campaign would require navigating the same Electoral College challenges that have bedeviled recent Democratic candidates. Republicans argue that Gallego represents the same failed establishment politics that voters rejected in 2024.
What the Numbers Show
The Latino vote has become increasingly competitive for Republicans. In 2024, Harris won Latinos 51%-46%, according to the NBC News Exit Poll. This represents a significant shift from 2020, when Biden carried Latinos 65%-32%. The 19-point swing toward Republicans marks the most dramatic erosion of any major voting group for Democrats.
Gallego is 46 years old, making him younger than most recent presidential candidates from either party. He has served in the Senate for just over one year, having won his 2024 race against Lake by a narrow margin. His three children and young family represent both a political asset — demonstrating relatability — and a personal consideration he cited for whether to run.
Arizona has emerged as a key battleground state. While Trump won Arizona in 2024, the state's growing Latino population and swing voters make it competitive for both parties. Gallego's potential candidacy would likely focus heavily on recapturing the Latino vote that Democrats lost.
The Bottom Line
Gallego's consideration of a 2028 bid reflects the Democratic Party's ongoing struggle to retain Latino voters, a coalition that has shifted noticeably toward Republicans in recent cycles. He joins a potentially crowded field of Democrats from battleground states who are weighing runs, with the party seeking a candidate who can reverse its 2024 performance.
The senator said he must still decide whether a national campaign would be compatible with being a present father to his three children, and whether another candidate might be better positioned to win. 'I have to look at it to make sure that I'm actually going to be good at it,' he said. He also emphasized that any run 'has to be an extension of my service to the country.' The next 18 months will determine whether Gallego moves from consideration to formal candidacy.