Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) energized Iowa voters at a town hall in Davenport over the weekend, delivering a message of hope while also using the setting to put the GOP on the defensive.
“When you’re a politician that is choosing your voters, instead of being able to convince voters, you have a losing message, right?” Gallego told several hundred people, referring to the Texas redistricting battle playing out.
Gallego also knocked President Trump for the country’s still-high grocery prices and for Republicans cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a reference to Trump’s megabill of tax and spending cuts, which cut the program and Medicaid to offset costs of the bill.
The Arizona Democrat said Americans were “now sicker and poorer because of Donald Trump.”
At the same time, Gallego also offered a message of hope while traveling in the state.
“There’s no governing coalition until we start winning here,” the Arizona senator told The New York Times. “And we know how to do it. I know how to get the message to do it. So I’m here to, most of all, encourage the Democratic Party, because they feel a little down right now here.”
Gallego made several stops in the Hawkeye State, including a visit to the Iowa State Fair, amid growing speculation that he might be eyeing a White House bid in 2028.
Iowa has traditionally been on the early presidential nominating calendar, though Democrats knocked it from its early perch last cycle as former President Biden sought to put South Carolina first instead.
Gallego is also expected to travel to New Hampshire later this month for several events, including “Politics & Eggs,” hosted by The New England Council and Saint Anselm College’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Both the Iowa State Fair and “Politics & Eggs” have long been testing grounds for rising political stars and potential White House hopefuls testing their message in early primary states.
Gallego has said he’s thought about running for the White House but maintained it’s not his focus right now.
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