An Arizona judge ordered the divorce case between Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego to be partially unsealed, ruling the decision to permanently make the proceedings private was improper, the conservative media outlet behind the legal action to reveal the divorce records reported Friday.
The Washington Free Beacon reported that Yavapai County Superior Court Judge John Napper ruled last Tuesday that the decision to seal the records in the 2017 divorce case of Ruben Gallego, the likely Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, was improper.
Ruben Gallego was given 15 days to propose specific redactions to the divorce records, and the outlet reported, “The judge indicated that he had reviewed the file and did not believe that much if any of its contents should remain private.”
The Free Beacon reported that it argued, “the unsealing of the divorce records is in the public interest given that Gallego and his wife both currently hold public office and that Gallego, who is running in what is likely to be one of the most hotly contested Senate races of the cycle, is seeking a promotion.”
The Democrat and his wife, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, separated in 2016. Kate Gallego was reportedly nine months pregnant with Ruben Gallego’s child when the couple announced their split on December 21, 2016.
An ad detailing the circumstances of Ruben Gallego’s breakup was released by the influential National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) last November, with the commercial characterizing the Democrat as a “deadbeat dad” who “abandoned his wife when she was nearly nine months pregnant, then married a D.C. lobbyist.”
At the time, Ruben Gallego described the advertisement as “a baseless, deeply personal attack.” After the ad was released, Kate Gallego later endorsed her ex-husband’s 2024 campaign.
The Mayor of Phoenix since 2019, Kate Gallego was recently appointed by Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to participate in a new advisory committee to “provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable, and transformative.”
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake questioned whether Ruben Gallego is hiding something in a post to the social media platform X.
“We know that Ruben Gallego walked out on his wife when she was just days away from giving birth to their firstborn,” wrote Lake. “Ruben had her served with divorce papers so he could run-off with a DC lobbyist.”
She questioned, “Why are his divorce records SEALED? What is he hiding?”
We know that Ruben Gallego walked out on his wife when she was just days away from giving birth to their firstborn.
Ruben had her served with divorce papers so he could run-off with a DC lobbyist.Why are his divorce records SEALED? What is he hiding? https://t.co/rjXFqy2HGp
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) April 1, 2024
In a statement, NRSC spokesman Tate Mitchell celebrated the judge’s decision.
“Ruben Gallego is fighting tooth and nail to hide the true reason he abandoned his wife when she was nearly nine months pregnant,” said Mitchell. “Arizonans deserve to know the truth about the man who wants to represent them in the United States Senate.”
A recent poll shows the Arizona race for U.S. Senate remains highly competitive, with Gallego narrowly beating Republican candidate Kari Lake among the electorate.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Rep Ruben Gallego” by Rep. Ruben Gallego.
