Ruben Gallego is making a significant move by heading to a crucial battleground state to engage with voters this week, hinting at potential higher aspirations as some Democrats consider him a possible candidate for the 2028 presidential race. The Arizona senator is scheduled to lead a town hall event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on May 10, a pivotal area that President Donald Trump managed to flip in 2024, as revealed by plans initially disclosed to POLITICO.
According to Ruben Gallego’s chief of staff, Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, “No one understands the struggles of working-class Americans like Ruben Gallego. He’s heading to Pennsylvania to directly address voters about the fight for working-class families because he has lived through their challenges.”
Gallego’s visit to the district represented by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a frequent target for Democrats, is part of an initiative by the party to highlight vulnerable Republicans in light of potential cuts to Medicaid and to urge them to oppose Trump’s budget bill.
In what appears to be an early shadow primary ahead of 2028, Gallego joins a lineup of potential Democratic presidential contenders hitting the road. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is heading to Iowa this month to host a town hall with a veterans group, following his successful performance in the 2020 presidential caucuses. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is making his way to South Carolina, an early primary state, for a prominent Democratic dinner. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently visited New Hampshire, another key early primary state, to deliver a keynote address at a dinner event.
Gallego, a rising star within the Democratic Party, managed to secure a state in 2024 that Trump had won, partly due to his strong support among Latino voters compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris. In a previous interview with POLITICO, Gallego attributed his victory to rejecting the assumption that the Democratic stance on border enforcement was lax.
Supporters of Gallego also credit his success to his ability to relate his humble beginnings, growing up in poverty with a single mother, working as a janitor while attending Harvard, and serving in the Marine Corps during the Iraq War. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin praised Gallego as “a critical voice for the Democratic Party.”
The Democratic Party seems to be gearing up for a competitive primary race in the years leading up to 2028, with potential candidates like Ruben Gallego making strategic moves to engage with voters and build support for their future campaigns.
