Congressman Gallego’s e-book about his time in Iraq: They Called Us “Lucky”: The Life and Afterlife of the Iraq War’s Hardest Hit Unit
Transcribed excerpts from that dialog are under, edited for size and readability.
On Senator Kyrsten Sinema and doubtlessly operating towards her within the 2024 major:
Ryan Lizza: Do you suppose you’ve handed the purpose of no return the place you’re undoubtedly going to leap in that major or it’s nonetheless a choice for the long run?
Congressman Ruben Gallego: Properly, I feel the choice goes to be made by Arizonans. Politicians don’t determine this on their very own self-importance. It’s like, “Do you’ve gotten an opportunity to win? Do you’ve gotten an opportunity to make a distinction?” And what we’re proper now could also be completely different than what we’re subsequent yr.
Lizza: In different phrases, you’re not going to mount a suicide mission.
Gallego: No, the distinction is, look… I care in regards to the Arizona Democratic Occasion. I’ve achieved every little thing, among the hardest time, to maintain this get together alive. However I’m not going to do one thing that’s going to hurt the Democratic Occasion. In 2018, in 2020, I assumed for a very long time about operating towards [Mark] Kelly.
Lizza: Oh actually?
Gallego: On the finish of the day, I noticed that two issues are going to occur. We’re going to have a blowout combat all the best way up into the first, and the most probably factor is that whoever received that major was going to lose that basic as a result of we’re going to combat one another. I actually have achieved every little thing I can to maintain this get together alive on this state, and I used to be not going to do it.
Lizza: What’s it like once you work together along with her [Sinema] now?
Gallego: I imply truthfully, we simply haven’t. She’s not right here that usually, so I must work together along with her. However look, we now have to work together with one another. I’m knowledgeable.
Lizza: Alright. However I perceive there’s a fairly vital Senate race in Arizona this yr, and a big governor’s race. A number of the time there are occasions the place all of the Democrats who’re up for election get collectively and so they put their arms collectively and like, “Unity. Yay!” So is that going to occur with you and her?
Gallego: Oh no, as a result of she doesn’t do this.
Lizza: You don’t suppose she’ll be on stage with Mark Kelly? Doing occasions?
Gallego: No. I imply, look, truthfully, she’s not going to be out right here stumping for Democrats. She’s all about herself. She’s not going to assist Mark. She’s not going to assist Katie Hobbs or whoever the Democrat is. It’s all about herself. Like, I’ll be on the market serving to whoever is the nominee. It’s similar to she cares about herself. She doesn’t care in regards to the Democratic motion. She doesn’t care about working class folks. She’s not going to be on the market with Mark. She’s not going to be on the market with our gubernatorial nominee. It’s not her nature.
So look, I want she would. I’d like to be on the stump along with her serving to Democrats win, however she’s not going to do it. As a result of I’m a very good Democrat, I need us to win. I feel we now have the values which are going to make Arizona higher. I don’t suppose she’s going to do it with me as a result of I imply, truthfully, I feel she cares extra about her profession than she cares about what we will do with our elected workplace, proper?
Lizza: When did that develop into obvious along with her?
Gallego: I feel it for me, it grew to become obvious within the 2016 election the place she nominally endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Lizza: Like, she wasn’t a full-throated endorsement?
Gallego: No. I used to be stumping for Hillary all around the state, all around the nation. She, You already know, for my part, and I look, I’ll say this. I imagine that I noticed the existential risk to Trump earlier than lots of people did.
Lizza: You thought he might win?
Gallego: Primary, Sure, he might win. Quantity two, what he was when it comes to hazard to this democracy, And I advised folks and I stated, “This man may win the overall.”
Lizza: Why did you suppose that at the moment? What did you see in him?
Gallego: I appeared on the numbers and I stated, “You already know, we’re assuming that white voters are going to vote the identical means, that we’ve hit the underside.” I simply didn’t imagine that. And I’ll be sincere, rising up in Evergreen Park, Illinois, with a whole lot of like working-class white Democrats, by the best way, I simply knew that what he was saying and doing was interesting to them and that will truly have an impact. Everybody simply didn’t wish to imagine it.
Truthfully, she doesn’t perceive Arizona. I feel that’s truly the actual factor. I feel she understands Arizona from a perspective a few years in the past, however she truly doesn’t perceive Arizona like what’s occurring. She’s operating based mostly on previous elections, however she isn’t concerned to see what’s occurring right here. We now have the biggest microchip manufacturing plant opening up proper now. We now have all these biotech corporations shifting right here. We now have all these tech corporations shifting right here. We now have Latino younger women and men that have been 18 ten years in the past. They’re now 28 and are beginning to vote. So the angle of politics relies ten years in the past and she or he by no means tailored. She by no means understood, as a result of so as so that you can do this, you even have to reveal your self. And he or she’s not one to reveal herself to what might be like criticisms.
