See Reuben Gallego’s full speech at the Democratic Congress
Rep. Rep. Rep. Rep. Reuben Gallego was one of the speakers on the final day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
- Gallego will be attending Iowa Fair on August 8th and then travelling to Quad City on August 9th.
- Galego defeated Maga Firebrand Kari Lake in 2024 and became Arizona’s first Latino US Senator, and is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party.
- Gallego’s trip to Iowa may help update the conversation about whether Iowa belongs to the early state lineup as the main process of the 2028 president progresses.
Senator Reuben Gallego is scheduled to suspend Iowa in August. This could create a major chatter for the Arizona Democrats and create new topics for Iowa, where some Democrats are trying to regain their foothold on their presidential nomination calendar.
Gallego attended Iowa Fair August 8th – a typical presidential election stop and traveled to Quad City on August 9th, where he attended the Scott County City Hall, his staff told the Des Moines Register. The event will be co-hosted by the Iowa Democrats and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
According to his staff, Gallego plans to speak directly to voters about the “disastrous budget bill” passed by Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump on July 4th.
“Leuven Gallego, like most Iowans, didn’t grow up by handing him things. He had to work hard and pay his dues,” Gallego’s chief of staff, Rafael Chavez Fernandez, said in a statement. “So he’s heading to Hawkeye State and calling out those who have sacrificed good Iowa workers and supported Trump’s billionaire tax fraud. Reuben is not afraid to yell the quiet part out loud.
Galego is considered a rising star in the Democrats after defeating Maga Firebrand’s Kari Lake in 2024 to become Arizona’s first Latino US senator, and gaining the battlefield condition carried by Republican Donald Trump.
That victory came from an over-performing performance among Latino voters compared to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Gallego is one of the National Democrats who appears to be positioning himself for a potential White House bid in 2028.
Without incumbents of the vote or heirs waiting in the wings, the main democratic field is expected to be broad and open freedom throughout.
Gallego blew speculation about his future ambitions by traveling to Pennsylvania, the battlefield of major presidents in May. He hosted City Hall with local Democrats and helped them pay attention to their constituents and Republicans who had not held public meetings.
Gallego is also considering raising his national profile on immigration-related issues, co-hosting the Lake Rayleigh Act in the Senate and announcing a campaign-style immigration plan.
As the 2028 Shadow Primary begins to unfold, other presidential candidates are also making rounds to other important states.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Besher said on July 6 that he was considering a possible 2028 run. And on July 8th, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a two-day tour of South Carolina, the state that led the 2024 Democrats’ primary calendar.
Is Iowa back in conversation as 2028 Shadow Primary unfolds?
Gallego’s trip to Iowa may help update the conversation about whether Iowa belongs to the early state lineup as the main process of the 2028 president progresses.
It follows the May emergence of former US Transportation Secretary Pete Battigigue, who held his first public in-person appearance since leaving Cabinet Secretary in January. He portrayed a crowd of people in the standing room only and a crowd of national reporters.
While Iowa no longer officially leads the president’s nomination calendar, Battigeg’s visit to Iowa still generated national media attention and many questions about his plans for the future.
Buttigieg refused to weigh when asked by reporters whether Iowa should regain a novice presidential party. However, he touted what the Caucus experience did for his rise.
“People like me are takers and not makers of rules about it,” he said. “What I say is Iowa has taught me what happens through the process of having to be in your backyard and do four city halls a day, which has allowed people like me to emerge as national figures.
When Iowa Democrat Chairman Rita Hart was re-elected to another term as chairman in January, she said she would hold listening sessions around the state to determine how the party’s grassroots want to move forward in the Caucus.
And when the Democratic National Committee removed longtime Rules and Bylaws Committee member Scott Brennan from the panel setting the presidential nomination calendar, Brennan kept the door open in 2028 to host a fraudulent event that violated the official DNC calendar.
“I certainly don’t think we’re constrained by the decision of the Iowa Democrats and our chair,” he said at the time.
Other Iowa Democrats have also proposed hosting a domestic nomination event, even if it violates the wishes of the DNC.
Iowa House Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-DES Moines, said on an episode of the Iowa Press on June 27th that the Iowa Democrats will push them to retrieve spots at the forefront of their presidential nomination calendar.
“At the end of the day, we can get rid of the strange mathematics we do as Democrats and just adopt what Republicans have done. “Shall vote and move forward with this.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is a leading political reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @briannedmr.
