Ruben Gallego redefines himself as he seeks Senate promotion in Arizona

PHOENIX — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego referred to himself as “a true progressive voice in Congress” in a fundraising email in 2022.

In 2018, he rallied alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders in his home state, saying facetiously: “President Trump is going to build a wall. It’s called the progressive wall — it’s all my brothers and sisters holding hands to stop Donald Trump.”

And when Sanders took the stage, he called Gallego and Rep. Raúl Grijalva “two leaders of the progressive movement.”

It’s not a label Gallego, who rose through the political ranks as a liberal firebrand, is embracing the same way now as he runs for Senate.

“I consider myself an Arizona member of Congress who works across the aisle with everybody,” Gallego told NBC News last week when asked if he still identifies as a “progressive.” Last month, Gallego allowed his membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus to lapse after joining during his first term in Congress, a decision he claims was about finances.

“The Progressive Caucus actually increased their dues tremendously, and that comes out of my staff pay, and so, you know, we have to make decisions,” Gallego said. Pressed again, he continued: “I work for Arizonans. And sometimes that makes me cross a lot of political spectrums.”

Gallego’s shift of emphasis reflects several realities. He’s trying to jump from a congressional district President Joe Biden won 3 to 1 to a statewide campaign in one of the most tightly divided battlegrounds in the nation. And Arizona’s middle is up for grabs in the Senate campaign, which also features pro-Trump Republican Kari Lake in the race to replace Democratic-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Gallego’s congressional voting record has been an early line of