Gallego nabs two key Latino endorsements

Civil rights icon Dolores Huerta and the United Farm Workers (UFW), the union she founded alongside Cesar Chavez, on Wednesday endorsed Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) in his Senate bid.

Endorsements from Huerta and the UFW, key players in the birth of Hispanic political power, hold a special significance for many Latinos, particularly in the Southwest.

“Ruben is a stalwart advocate for immigration reform and his commitment to advancing the circumstances of working people, especially Latinos, is undeniable,” Huerta said.

Gallego called Huerta “a true champion for civil rights and one of our nation’s greatest activists, and a pillar of our community.”

“Her tireless advocacy for working people, particularly Latinos, has inspired generations, and I am committed to continuing her fight for better opportunities for working families and all Americans,” he said.

Gallego is running to replace Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who flipped the seat for Democrats in 2018 but left the party and became an independent in 2022. She is not running for reelection.

But Gallego’s race has Democrats fired up because he’s likely to increase participation from both young and rural Hispanic voters in a key state for the presidential election.

“He is a longtime friend of our union and has always fought to ensure that Arizona’s workers and immigrants have better pay, fair working conditions, and quality opportunities,” said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero.

“Arizona’s agricultural industry, which provides the nation with nearly all of its winter lettuce crop, would simply not be possible without the contributions of hard-working farm workers, most of whom are of Latino background. Those Arizona farm workers deserve elected representatives who know them, care about them, and will fight for them. Ruben knows what it means to take on hard jobs, and Arizonans could not have a better advocate in the U.S. Senate.”

Gallego, who grew up in a union family, said unions “are the backbone of our Arizona economy, and Arizonans deserve a Senator who knows the value of hard work and how to fight for everyday family.”

He is running against Kari Lake, a hard-line MAGA conservative and former TV journalist who lost the 2022 gubernatorial election to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).