Gallego picks up third House endorsement in Arizona Senate race
Cami Mondeaux
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Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) offered his endorsement to Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in his bid to unseat Arizona Sen. Krysten Sinema (I) in 2024.
Gallego launched his challenge to ex-Democrat Sinema in January, setting the stage for what is likely to be a competitive three-way race in a key swing state. Goldman is the third House Democrat to throw his support behind Gallego, joining the ranks of Reps. Raul Grijalva (AZ) and Seth Moulton (MA), who endorsed him earlier this year.
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“We need to elect candidates who actually believe in democracy and respect the rule of law,” Goldman wrote in a tweet. “That’s why I’m proud to endorse [Gallego] for the US Senate. He fought for democracy overseas, and he fights for it every day in the House. Let’s make him Senator Gallego!”
Sinema has not announced whether she will run for reelection in 2024. If she does, the race could split Democrats as they mull whether to back incumbent Sinema, who left the party late last year, or Gallego. The dynamic also threatens to split the electorate and hand a win to whoever Republicans elect as their nominee.
Gallego has emerged as the front-runner in the 2024 Senate race, besting Sinema and other GOP challengers in preliminary polling. Gallego leads the field in any three-way race between himself, Sinema, and a Republican, according to a February OH Predictive Insights survey.
The Senate race in Arizona is shaping up to be one of the most crucial contests for Democrats as they seek to maintain Senate control in 2024. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority in the Senate, with the advantage of having Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker vote if needed.
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There are a total of 34 Senate seats up for grabs in the 2024 election cycle. Of these, Democrats must defend 23, compared to just 11 for Republicans. The circumstance puts Republicans in a strong position to flip some crucial Senate seats that could easily shift the current balance of power in the upper chamber.
The Senate seat in Arizona has been rated a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, making it one of the most competitive races so far.