Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego got emotional on Thursday after acknowledging that his father is a convicted drug dealer, a revelation he made after his contender in the Senate race, Republican Kari Lake, sought to tie him with drug cartels.
Speaking to press at an event with mayors who support his candidacy, Gallego said: "She's raising it because my father, who abandoned my family, is a convicted drug dealer. and it's a stain my family has had to carry. and this is why my mom, my sisters and myself have worked our entire lives to live the American dream and to serve and honor the country despite what he has done."
"But this is who Kari Lake is. She attacks families when she's losing. Because she is, she is a pathetic loser. We've seen what happened with the McCain family. We've seen it happen with other families here," Gallego added. He went on to criticize the fact that "all it takes is craven politicians like Kari Lake to drag us all down" despite doing "everything right."
"How many kids in this country want to do better? Want to live the American dream, want to do better than their abusive father. But we'll be reminded time and time again that the sins of the father have to be carried on by their children. That's not the American way," he concluded.
NEW: In response to @KariLake accusing @RubenGallego of being tied to drug cartels, the Democratic senate candidate appears to get emotional acknowledging his father "Is a convicted drug dealer and it's a stain that our family has had to carry," but that his family has worked… pic.twitter.com/JkkSk4yYFv
— Ben Brown (@bdbrown473) October 3, 2024
Lake and Gallego will face each other next week, when they engage in a debate. The event will take place on October 9 and will be organized by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission.
The tone will likely be a combative one as Lake has taken such an approach during her political life. It will be one of her last chances to turn around a race that has shown Gallego ahead in all polls.
The latest survey features a smaller margin than the previous ones: conducted by AtlasIntel among 946 likely voters, it showed Gallego ahead by four percentage points, garnering 50% of the support compared to Lake's 46%.
It is a large departure from the previous survey, where Gallego led comfortably by a two-digit margin. The Beacon Research/Shaw & Company Research and Fox News poll, which consulted over 1,000 registered voters, concluded that the Democrat held 56% of the support compared to Lake's 42%.
Another study by the same entities among 764 likely voters had a similar result: Gallego got 55% of the potential votes, while lake took 42%. The Cook Political Report says the race is leaning Democrat.
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