Rep. Gallego announces 2024 bid for Kyrsten Sinema's Senate seat

Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego announced Monday he is launching a bid for U.S. Senate to unseat independent Kyrsten Sinema. "I have been deeply humbled by the

encouragement I have received from the people of Arizona, and today I am answering the call to serve," Gallego said in a press release. In a video announcement, Gallego

shared his vision for Arizona and went after Sinema, who has yet to announce if she'll seek reelection. "She's repeatedly broken her promises and fought for the interests

of big pharma and Wall Street at our expense," he said. "I'm running for the U.S. Senate because the rich and the powerful don't need any more advocates in Washington -- but

families who can't afford groceries do." Gallego has spoken out against Sinema in the past for holding back several key pieces of Democratic legislation during her time

in office. Most recently, he has come after her for switching party affiliation, leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent ahead of the 2024 elections.

MORE: Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaving Democratic Party Last week, Gallego's fellow Arizona Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton announced that he would not seek to run for Senate next

year, forging the path for Gallego to win the Democratic primary. Gallego said in December some senators and representatives have privately urged him to run against

Sinema. A Gallego-Sinema matchup would make for an important campaign, given Arizona's battleground state status. Meanwhile, on the Republican side, reports have

circulated that former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is also mulling a senatorial run following her loss to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs by less than a percentage point.