Progressive Raquel Teran jumps into race to fill seat vacated by Rep. Ruben Gallego
Ryan King
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A progressive state senator in Arizona has launched her campaign to fill the seat of Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is vying to replace Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) in the Senate.
State Sen. Raquel Teran (D) announced her campaign on Wednesday with a video touting her liberal bona fides and positioning herself as a champion for abortion rights, immigrants, and working-class Arizonans. She stepped down as the minority leader of the state Senate last month to prepare for her congressional run.
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“For over 20 years, I’ve been fighting to make it easier to get ahead and provide for our families. I’ve taken on bullies like Joe Arpaio, Donald Trump, and Kari Lake — and won,” Teran said.
https://twitter.com/RaquelTeran/status/1643599912427298816
Teran is the first major Democrat to vie for Gallego’s congressional seat. She served roughly two years in the state Senate and nearly three in the state House. From 2021 until January of this year, she led the state Democratic Party.
During her 2018 campaign for the Arizona state House, she was hit with “birther” lawsuits questioning her United States citizenship. Teran, who was born in the U.S., overcame the challenge. She also spent time working on grassroots efforts to challenge immigration hard-liner and former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Arpaio, an ally of former President Donald Trump known for pushing birtherism against former President Barack Obama, was featured in her campaign introduction video.
Gallego announced his campaign for Sinema’s seat earlier this year. Progressives in the state have blasted Sinema for bucking the party on key votes, including on President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.
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Sinema changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent late last year. She has not yet announced whether she plans to run for reelection.
Arizona, once a stronghold for Republican politics, has trended purple in recent election cycles. Its state legislature is barely controlled by Republicans, while the governor’s office is held by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ); the state’s other U.S. senator, Mark Kelly, is a Democrat.