Democrat Ruben Gallego's Senate run threatens to endanger Democrat control of the Senate

January 30, 2023

Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) announced that he would be entering the race for one of Arizona's Senate seats and that has created a nightmare situation that could hand Republicans an important seat in 2024.

Gallego is set to run against Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who recently left the Democrat Party, and Democrats are worried Gallego and Sinema will siphon votes from each other, allowing Republicans to win the seat.

Democrats are in serious danger of losing the Senate as nearly half of their senators are up for election, many in states that voted red in 2016 or 2020.

Democratic strategist Jon Reinish explained, "This is absolutely a concern. The idea that two Democratic or Democratic-affiliated candidates with one running as an independent, both on the ballot at the same time, you know — that’s a real fear that they cannibalize each other's votes."

Reinish continued by saying, "One has to evaluate very carefully if it’s worth tempting fate in such a way, where, best intentions aside, you end up having a very winnable race for either Sinema or, absolutely, for Gallego. You could end up handing an otherwise winnable Democratic seat to a Republican."

Kyrsten Sinema may have left the Democrat Party but she is still wreaking havoc in its ranks, and she isn't stopping anytime soon. Her seat could very well be the key to Republicans taking a majority in the Senate in 2024.