Gallego gets Latino Victory endorsement in Arizona Senate bid

Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego's Senate bid is being backed by the Latino Victory Fund.

Latino Victory's endorsement on Thursday morning comes as more national and Arizona Democrats have stepped firmly into Gallego's camp after the Arizona Senate seat's current holder Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I), confirmed earlier this month she would not be running for reelection.

“Congressman Gallego’s race is historic for Latinos in Arizona and across the country. Electing the first Latino U.S. Senator to represent Arizona will not only increase Latino representation but having a candidate of Gallego's caliber will help mobilize Latino voters in a high-stakes presidential election," said Latino Victory Fund President Sindy Benavides.

Gallego over the past week has racked up endorsements, including from Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) and Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).

Late last year, some Democrats were uneasy about Gallego's run, partly because Sinema flipped the seat for Democrats in 2018, though she later left the party to become an independent.

But Gallego has shown resilience in the polls, even in hypothetical three-way matchups against Sinema and Republican Kari Lake, and his candidacy became Democrats' most realistic path to keeping the seat, even before Sinema's decision not to run.

The Latino Victory endorsement closes a circle for Gallego, who ran Bold PAC, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus campaign arm, for the 2022 cycle before quitting that post to run for the Senate.

Latino Victory, a group dedicated to growing Latino representation, and Bold PAC often work in tandem to elect Latinos to Congress.

“As a longtime member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the former Chair of Bold PAC, I’ve experienced firsthand how crucial it is to expand Latino representation in Congress, in the U.S. Senate, and beyond," said Gallego.

The Iraq War veteran would be the first Latino to represent Arizona — a state where 32.5 percent of the population is Hispanic — in the Senate.

"His top priorities reflect Arizonans’ priorities, including increasing jobs and strengthening the economy, expanding access to affordable health care, fair and humane immigration reform, and protecting reproductive freedom," said Benavides.