'The Interview': Senator Ruben Gallego on the Democrats’ Problem: ‘We’re Always Afraid’
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What challenges are Democrats facing post-election?
Democrats, having lost the Senate and the presidency, are struggling to come up with a unified strategy, not only to stop Trump's agenda, but also to win back the voters they need who moved towards him in the election. It's a real moment of soul-searching for the party. So over the next month, I'll be having a series of conversations with influential Democratic politicians to understand their internal debates about the way forward. My first is with Arizona's junior Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego. Gallego's win over Republican Kerry Lake was one of the few bright spots for Democrats in November.
Who is Senator Ruben Gallego and what is his political background?
A former member of the House, Gallego won in a tight race by overperforming Kamala Harris among key demographics that Democrats have struggled with, especially men and Latinos. Gallego is the son of an immigrant single mother and grew up poor. He eventually went to Harvard and then became a Marine fighting in Iraq and ultimately ended up in politics where he says his story of struggle and success helped him connect to voters. He has a lot of advice for and criticism of Democrats right now, as I discovered when I sat down with him earlier this week in Washington, D.C., Here's my conversation with Senator Ruben Gallego.
Senator, I almost don't know where to start because so much has happened in such a short amount of time.
And it occurs to me, you're a first-term senator, but you were in the House for about 10 years before that. And you were in Congress during the first Trump administration.
I was, actually, yeah.
Yeah. So I guess I'm wondering, does this time feel different?
It does. And two things. Number one, a lot of what you see Trump is doing now is what he tried the first time around. But this time around, we don't have Republican allies. And what that means is that we're basically fighting on our own. For me, this is more reminiscent of when I was in the statehouse, when the Republicans had full control of the House, the Senate, and the governor. Yeah, and the governor in Arizona. And there was just no way stopping them except for trying to find the best way to bring to light, you know, what problems they were causing, what they were violating, what they were going to overall just like turning the state into.
How can Democrats effectively oppose Trump's agenda?
And right now, I think that's where you're seeing a lot of the Democratic establishment party elected officials trying to figure out what to do.
Do you see a shift in how seriously the party is taking this moment?
I do think that the party, and at least talking to my colleagues, are starting to see that this is an existential threat if they keep going down this road. If we can't rely on the judiciary to be part of those checks and balances, then what is left? I think what I'm seeing is a lot of people that are just kind of frozen. And, you know, it's something that happens a lot when situations come out of the norm. And so people want to make something that's not normal, normal, because if you actually have to accept the reality, it gets very, very scary.
And I guess the big question for Democrats is what it means to be an effective opposition party. And I think there are two issues here, right? One is what Democrats should actually do effectively. to counter Trump's actions. And the other is how you should communicate what you're doing. On the first, there is talk of using government spending, which has to be negotiated by March 14th as leverage. Obviously, the risk is that if there is a shutdown, the Democrats will be blamed for that at a moment when, indeed, the party is trying to beach voters, rebuild itself, communicate that it is a party worth voting for. Is the risk too high?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What challenges are Democrats facing post-election?
0:32–1:07
2
Who is Senator Ruben Gallego and what is his political background?
1:07–2:55
3
How can Democrats effectively oppose Trump's agenda?
2:55–5:32
4
Why are Democrats struggling to connect with Trump voters?
5:32–8:21
5
What strategies did Gallego use to win over Latino voters?
8:21–13:22
6
What role does class play in Gallego's political messaging?
13:22–20:20
7
Why are economic issues critical in shaping voter behavior?
20:20–37:38