Ruben Gallego faces backlash after critics recall pregnant wife divorce

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., now trying to evade campaign finance scrutiny with family-friendly characterizations, quickly recalled how he served divorce papers to his 9-months-pregnant wife in 2016.

“My daughter, Isla, was born right in the middle of my Senate campaign. It’s one of the most competitive races in the country. And instead of campaigning there, I took two months off,” Gallego said. in a video shared on social media.

“My wife had had an unplanned C-section. I wanted to be there for her and our newborn child because being a husband and father is more important to me than any campaign or any job.”

Conservatives and a former Jill Biden spokesman quickly responded to Gallego’s portrayal, which emerged amid a barrage of questions about whether he used donor money as a personal slush fund and while he was reportedly eyeing a 2028 presidential bid.

AOC SPENT OVER 53 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGN FUNDS FOR LUXURY HOTELS IN 2025: ‘CARPETBAGGER’

“He is either extremely arrogant or has zero self-awareness,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson. said in x. “Probably both. So who is running the communications operation who thinks this post will be well received?

GOP consultant Matt Wolking said, “It’s an incredibly bad instinct to publish this, given what everyone knows about his past. The odds were completely predictable, and now even more people will know about his behavior.” He said it in X.

“Do you think people are unaware that you left your first wife when she was about to give birth to your baby?” Matt Whitlock, a former advisor to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He said it in X.

The campaign account of Kari Lake, onetime Gallego’s Republican rival, also fired back.

“To clarify: This child comes from your second marriage, after you left your first wife nine months pregnant to be with your lobbyist mistress, correct?” account said in a post.

“You filed divorce papers with your wife when she was literally 9 months pregnant. Do you think people won’t call you about this???” Matt Van Swol, a former nuclear scientist at the Department of Energy, said on X:

Katie Miller, wife of White House policy adviser Stephen Miller, also agreed.

“Ruben Gallego filed divorce papers with his wife while she was nine months pregnant. He then had an affair with a 25-year-old lobbyist.” Miller said.

SWALWELL FRIEND GALLEGO DEFENDS SUPER BOWL CAMPAIGN FINANCED IN MIAMI TRAVELS: ‘WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?’

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., leaves the Senate Chamber in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 11, 2025, after the failure of two opposing health care bills aimed at stopping rising premiums. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Check your facts,” Gallego’s current wife, Sydney Gallego, told Miller at X, shortly after Fox News Digital reached Gallego’s office on Wednesday.

“Ruben and I didn’t even meet until years later. Our entire family has a strong relationship. I wish I was surprised that Katie Miller would lie about us. But these are the same sick people who want ICE to tear families apart. This has nothing to do with family.”

“Thank you, Katie, for revealing that Ruben and I met a year and a half after our divorce, not while he was still married. Maybe the lies about the origins of our relationship will be put to rest once and for all. Thank you for helping make that happen.” Gallego’s wife wrote in a separate post.

In addition to conservatives, former Jill Biden spokesman Michael Larosa also ripped Gallego at X.

“Yes, Ruben Gallego was so vital to his wife’s maternal health that he did not take the time to support her while she was pregnant; he served her with divorce papers before she gave birth,” she said. “What man wouldn’t do this to ensure his wife’s recovery?”

Gallego has dodged allegations of donor-funded travel and luxury purchases, arguing that he is a regular parent who sometimes brings his children and family to fundraisers.

“Are these in nice locations? Yes, that’s where the donors are and it’s part of the campaign,” Gallego wrote online Monday.

However, observers recently noted that: Reporting from Politico He claimed Gallego used campaign funds for family trips, Disneyland and Super Bowl tickets; these do not seem to fully fall within the scope of campaign activities.

HOPEFUL SENATE WITH DEEP IRON TIES PAID OVER 350 THOUSAND DOLLARS TO HIS FAMILY FROM CAMPAIGN EARNINGS

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., speaks with reporters as he heads to vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2026 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“There was a Super Bowl Arizona“I represent Arizona,” Gallego told Fox News Digital. “We did a Super Bowl fundraiser in Arizona where we raised money for my election in 2023. That’s what you do.”

“To raise money, you have to go where the money is,” Gallego added.