Sen. Ruben Gallego’s (D-AZ) possible 2028 ambitions just picked up another complication.
Politico reported Sunday that the Arizona Democrat used campaign and leadership PAC funds for family travel, child care expenses, and a Super Bowl fundraiser tied to his longtime friend, former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
A review of campaign finance records found that Gallego used donor-funded accounts to cover trips involving his family, reimburse child care costs, and help finance a Super Bowl LVII event in Arizona through a joint committee he operated with Swalwell.
Gallego is drawing attention as a possible presidential contender and traveled to South Carolina recently for Democratic Party events, adding to speculation that he is testing the waters for a national campaign.
Read More: Ruben Gallego's Latest Attempt at Swalwell Scandal Damage Control Gets Off to a Rocky Start
Update: Ruben Gallego Is Still Trying to Run Away From Eric Swalwell, and It's Still Not Working
The spending included leadership PAC-funded trips involving Gallego's family to Disney World, Disneyland, Miami, Chicago, and St. Barts. His campaign committee and leadership PAC also paid more than $18,000 in child care reimbursements and direct payments since 2019, including $400 to his mother-in-law for babysitting during a campaign fundraiser.
The report does not allege that the expenditures violated federal campaign finance law. The political problem remains.
Federal Election Commission rules allow campaign committees to cover certain travel, event, and child care expenses as long as they are not considered personal use. Leadership PACs operate under broader rules, giving lawmakers wide latitude when a political or fundraising purpose exists.
Gallego defended the spending.
"This is not breaking news," he told Politico. "With the rising costs of child care and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC.”
The Super Bowl spending is harder for Gallego to explain.
Gallego and Swalwell operated a joint fundraising committee known as the "Swallego Victory Fund," which hosted a Super Bowl LVII event in Arizona in February 2023, just 20 days after Gallego launched his Senate campaign. Records reviewed by Politico showed roughly $34,700 spent on event tickets and another $2,700 on a pregame brunch in Phoenix.
The event charged $5,000 for tickets that included the brunch, while the brunch alone cost $1,000 to attend. The committee raised more than $56,000 around the event.
A Gallego spokesperson said the fundraiser complied with campaign finance rules and that supporters who met contribution requirements were eligible to attend.
"Tickets were purchased at fair market value," the spokesperson said, adding that hosting donors and supporters at sporting events is "a common, bipartisan practice.”
Super Bowl fundraisers are unusual but not unheard of. Former Rep. John Conyers held one in 2010, and Swalwell used campaign funds to attend the 2024 Super Bowl when the San Francisco 49ers played in Las Vegas. Sen. Mark Kelly, another Arizona Democrat, paid his own way to the 2023 Super Bowl in Glendale.
The Swalwell connection has become harder for Gallego to outrun.
As RedState previously reported, Swalwell publicly described Gallego as his "best friend in the world" before allegations against the California Democrat exploded into public view.
Gallego later distanced himself from Swalwell, said he had no prior knowledge of the accusations, and called for his former friend to be expelled from Congress.
Scrutiny of that relationship continued. Public records and reporting later raised questions about Gallego's claims that he had not spent significant time around Swalwell in recent years. His public responses also became a story of their own as reporters pressed him about what he knew and when he knew it.
Read More: Sen. Ruben Gallego Suddenly Seems Panicky for Some Reason
More recently, Gallego hired former Biden White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates to assist with crisis communications, including questions involving Swalwell and any Ethics Committee fallout, a move that generated criticism even from some Democratic political veterans.
Gallego also established a legal defense fund last month and is continuing to evaluate future political opportunities. His communications director told Politico that Gallego "is weighing all options for his political future" and that Bates was brought on to help navigate that process.
Legality is one question. Judgment, optics, and vetting are another.
Presidential-level scrutiny is different from Senate-level scrutiny. Spending decisions that may have drawn little notice during a House or Senate campaign can become national issues fast once a politician starts testing the waters for the White House.
Gallego's donor-funded travel, Swalwell ties, and preparation for a larger national stage are all back in the spotlight.
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