Arizona border mayor who campaigned with Lake endorses Gallego for Senate

EXCLUSIVE — An Arizona mayor in a major border town who once campaigned alongside Republican Senate hopeful Kari Lake is now endorsing her opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), in a state where immigration and border security remain a major vulnerability for Democrats and President Joe Biden.

Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado announced his endorsement Tuesday, making him the third border mayor to back Gallego’s Senate bid, in a town that includes a critical point of entry with one side in the United States and its sister city, Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico.

“Ruben Gallego has a deep understanding of our community here in Nogales and a genuine commitment to making Arizona a better place for all of us,” Maldonado said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “His passion for public service and his willingness to fight for Arizona’s border communities are qualities we desperately need in the U.S. Senate. I know Ruben will never use our city as a political talking point.”

The endorsement comes after the mayor appeared alongside Lake during her campaign’s “Mama Bear Border Tour” in November 2023 in Nogales. Maldonado is a registered Democrat, and while he did not endorse the Lake during that event, he criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies and the impact they have had in Nogales. At the time, he spoke from behind a podium with Lake’s campaign logo, which could have appeared as if he was supporting her run for Senate.

During the event, Maldonado raised concerns about migrant street releases after the Border Patrol stopped waiting for buses funded by the state and county to release asylum-seekers at designated drop-off points. At the time, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) sent the administration a letter raising concerns about the lack of federal coordination in responding to the migrant releases.

“Since Washington made that decision without even communicating to the community, it hurt us because it shut down half of our regular tourist lanes, traffic lanes, and cars, which is what the city of Nogales depends on,” Maldonado said during the event, indirectly criticizing the Biden administration.

“Ruben Gallego called the border wall stupid, he voted against all of Trump’s policies to secure the border, supported illegal immigrants voting in our elections, and called for the repeal of Title 42,” a Lake spokesman said in response to the news of the endorsement. “He is the reason why there is a border crisis in Arizona.”

Maldonado was first elected to the Nogales City Council in 2016 before stepping down in 2022 to run for mayor. The town is located in Santa Cruz County, which is considered a Democratic stronghold in the Grand Canyon State. The county voted overwhelmingly for Biden in 2020 and Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

“Mayor Maldonado has been a fierce advocate for the people of Nogales, fighting to deliver more resources, enhanced staffing, upgraded ports, and advanced technology to address the everyday realities Southern Arizona faces,” Gallego said in a statement. “I am committed to supporting Arizona’s local leaders in every corner of the state and deeply appreciate Mayor Maldonaldo’s endorsement in this campaign.”

On the heels of Biden’s weak debate performance last week, there are major concerns that the president is considered especially vulnerable when it comes to immigration. Former President Donald Trump continues to slam the Biden administration on border security, seizing on the overall number of apprehensions made by Border Patrol agents.

After border arrests reached historic highs last December, the numbers have been declining. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced last week a decrease in migrants entering the U.S. illegally through the southern border since Biden’s move to temporarily restrict migrants seeking entry.

Gallego has been endorsed by San Luis Mayor Nieves Riedel, Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya, and border Sheriff David Hathaway in Santa Cruz County.

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Gallego has held a consistent lead over Lake in recent polling. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, changed its prediction from “toss-up” to “lean Democrat” recently, handing Democrats welcome news in the hotly contested race in the Grand Canyon State. The two are running for a seat being vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

However, Trump has also been leading in Arizona by an average of 5.6 points, according to an analysis of recent polling. Biden became only the second Democrat in 70 years to win Arizona in 2020, winning by 10,457 votes, or 0.3 percentage points, of the nearly 3.4 million ballots cast.