Why Ruben Gallego's Senate bid is so inspiring for Latinos

Rep. Ruben Gallego has a powerful personal story, and nobody can take that away from him.

His is the kind of story that should be celebrated, regardless of political ideology, as a recognition of the state’s rich diversity, culture and historical significance.

“Growing up poor, the only thing I had was the American dream,” the Democratic congressman from south Phoenix said in his video officially kicking off his bid for U.S. Senate bid.

“Opportunity. It’s the one thing we give every American, no matter where they are born in life,” he said. “It was actually something to believe in and to fight for.”

Ruben Gallego's story is Arizona's story

That opening salvo of his 3 minute, 24-second video done in English and Spanish encapsulates a uniquely American experience for the millions not lucky enough to be born in this country.

Gallego is among the lucky ones. He was born in Chicago from a Mexican father and a Colombian mother, who ended up raising him and his three sisters alone.

Gallego’s story is uniquely Arizona, uniquely American. The kid who grew up dirt poor, made it to Harvard, joined the Marines, fought in Iraq and got elected to the House of Representatives is now seeking to be a United States senator.

Congressional shift:How did Arizona get here and what happens next?

Gallego launched his official bid after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided to ditch the Democratic Party and register as an independent. She hasn’t said whether she’ll fight to keep the seat.

Either way, the dominant chatter is about his politics and his chances of winning the 2024 race. Is he too radical for Arizona? Will he soften his stances to appeal to centrists and independents? Will his ethnicity help him or hurt him?

All that’s fair game in the fight for votes.

His Senate run has the power to inspire others

But there’s another dimension to this that we should look at – and that is the inspirational power of people like him who have the audacity to try to defy the odds.

Arizona, which shares a 370-mile border with Mexico, is uniquely diverse. A third of its 7.4 million residents are Hispanics (many of whom trace their ancestry to Mexico’s territorial days). Black and Asian Arizonans are an integral part of our society, and Native Americans have called this land home before anyone else.

Yet, one segment of the population has wielded the political and business power since territorial times, leaving minority politicians as the anomaly rather than the norm.

Arizona voters, mostly traditionally conservative Republicans, have had a grip on this state. That may be changing, but the power-sharing has been mostly between white Republicans and Democrats.

There’s been only one Hispanic governor (who left office in 1977), and no Latino has ever been elected to the U.S. Senate from this state.

Why electing minorities to state office matters

Minorities have faced an uphill battle to win statewide races in the state, perhaps until now.

The Democratic Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, happens to be Hispanic. The Republican state treasurer, Kimberly Yee, is Asian American.

And two Latinas, a Republican and a Democrat, made history in 2020 when they got elected to the Arizona Corporation Commission, the agency that regulates utilities.

That’s tangible progress, indeed.

But why do minority candidates have such a hard time getting elected to statewide offices? That question isn’t for minorities but rather is directed toward the dominant populace that claims to be colorblind but votes mainly for its own.

Gallego has the guts to go after such a competitive seat, and that gives other minorities hope that anything is possible in this country.

Winning or losing will not be entirely up to Gallego. The final say is always up to us – the Arizona voters.

Gallego knows he has to convince us that he indeed is the best choice for our state. For now, though, this is about his audacity to at least try. That alone might dare other minorities to dream big, too.

Elvia Díaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why Ruben Gallego's Senate bid is so consequential for Latinos