Ruben Gallego gains support in Senate bid from two more Arizona border leaders

EXCLUSIVE — Two more Arizona leaders who represent border communities endorsed Rep. Ruben Gallego’s (D-AZ) Senate campaign, giving the House Democrat an edge with leaders in the state from regions that include critical points of entry with Mexico.

Santa Cruz County Chairman Manuel Ruiz and Yuma County Board of Supervisors Chairman Martin Porchas endorsed Gallego on Thursday, two counties on the Arizona-Mexico border. Three border mayors and a sheriff have previously backed the fifth-term congressman, as immigration and border security remain top issues in the 2024 cycle.

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“Ruben Gallego is the leader we need to address Arizona’s most important issues, especially the crisis at our southern border,” Ruiz said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “Ruben will work across the aisle to hire more border patrol agents, modernize our ports, and finally get our border communities the resources we need.”

Porchas, whose district includes the area where the border fence meets Cocopah tribal land west of Somerton, said he believes Gallego will “fight to keep communities safe.”

“Ruben and I share a commitment to keeping our communities safe and finding long-term solutions to our problems — from border security to economic development.”

The support comes as Republicans eye the open seat of retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) as one of the party’s better opportunities to seize control of the upper chamber next year. Gallego is expected to face Republican candidate Kari Lake, who has attempted to frame the Democratic lawmaker as an “open borders radical.”

While Lake has received a growing number of endorsements, according to a list on her website, she only has one from an Arizona official near the border. Tom Murphy, a mayor from Sahuarita, located south of Tucson, endorsed the GOP Senate hopeful. The majority of the Arizona state representatives and senators who have endorsed Lake are located in the middle of the state, outside of the Phoenix area.

“Ruben Gallego voted to allow illegal immigrants to vote in elections. He called the border wall stupid, he called for the repeal of Title 42, mocked border patrol agents, and declared there was no crisis at the border,” a spokesman for Lake’s campaign said. “He is a far-left lunatic who is trying to hide his progressive record on the border. Arizonans won’t be fooled.”

“I’m honored to have the support of Chairman Ruiz, Chairman Porchas, and so many of our Arizona border leaders who fight on behalf of their communities every single day,” Gallego said in a statement. “Together, we will deliver real, lasting solutions to secure our border, fix our broken immigration system, and protect essential cross-border trade so that families across Southern Arizona can thrive.”

Gallego’s endorsements come after a report claimed the Marine combat veteran minimized to Democratic donors the role he would play in crafting federal immigration policy if he wins his Arizona Senate race. In response, his campaign said he was working to secure the southern border on multiple fronts and described his Republican opponent as a “power-hungry liar.”

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.

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However, the ratings were recently updated to show Arizona was shifting in former President Donald Trump’s favor in the wake of President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate. Arizona has now shifted from “toss-up” to “lean Republican.”

There are 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans, and nearly all competitive seats are held by Democrats, putting them on the defensive as they try to maintain their slim majority.