US NATIONAL NEWS

Rep. Gallego announces bid for Sinema’s Arizona Senate seat

Published

4 years ago

January 24, 2023

PHOENIX (AP) — Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, a liberal firebrand and prominent Latino lawmaker, announced Monday he’ll challenge independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024, becoming the first candidate to jump into the race and setting up a potential three-way contest.

Gallego said he’d fight for normal people struggling to make ends meet and losing faith in politicians. He said he and Sinema both come from “modest to poor means” but have taken different paths in Congress.

“I’m better for this job than Kyrsten Sinema because I haven’t forgotten where I came from,” Gallego told The Associated Press. “I think she clearly has forgotten where she came from. Instead of meeting with the people that need help, she meets with the people that are already powerful.”

Gallego, a 43-year-old military veteran first elected to Congress in 2014, had made no secret of his interest in challenging Sinema, a longtime rival in Arizona politics who has been a roadblock and irritant to Democrats during Joe Biden’s presidency. She left the Democratic Party in December, registering as an independent and saying she doesn’t “fit well into a traditional party system.” She has not said whether she plans to run for a second term.

Although no Republican has entered the race, potential contenders include former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, former U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb — all of whom are closely aligned with former President Donald Trump. Karrin Taylor Robson, a housing developer who lost to Lake in last year’s primary, and former Gov. Doug Ducey are also possible contenders.

A three-way race, coupled with the risk that Sinema and the eventual Democratic nominee will split the vote, would complicate the party’s already uphill battle to maintain control of the Senate in 2024. Democrats will be forced to defend 23 seats, including Sinema’s and two others held by independents, compared with just 10 seats for Republicans.

With tough and expensive races on the horizon, it remains unclear just how firmly the Democratic establishment and major donors will line up against Sinema, who has voted for most Democratic legislation even as she’s stood in the way of major priorities for the White House, congressional leaders and the progressive movement.

“I’m assuming that they will be with us because we are going to run the winning campaign, and because at the end of the day, if you look at where Arizonans are going to be, they’re going to be with us and not with her,” Gallego told the AP.

A spokesperson for Sinema, Hannah Hurley, declined to comment on Gallego’s announcement.

Gallego, an acerbic presence on social media who is quick to take down rivals from both parties, floated the idea of challenging Sinema to raise money last year and has for weeks been publicly assembling a team of advisers, hiring Democratic campaign veterans with experience working on tough swing-state Senate races in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

He announced his campaign with an online video that shows him talking to veterans at an American Legion post in Guadalupe, a Latino and Indigenous community just outside Phoenix. He said his path from humble roots, beating the odds by getting accepted to Harvard University, motivates him to fight to preserve the American dream, first in the military and now in politics.

The son of immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, Gallego was raised in Chicago by a single mother, after his father was imprisoned for dealing drugs. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Reserves while he was on a break from Harvard, where he struggled with culture shock. He wrote in a 2021 book, “They Called Us Lucky,” that he was asked to leave during his sophomore year, when he partied too much, his grades slipped and he broke unspecified rules. He was later allowed to return.

He fought in Iraq in 2005 in a unit that sustained heavy casualties, including the death of his best friend, and he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning. He moved to Arizona to join his Harvard girlfriend, who had become active in Democratic politics in the state. The couple married in 2010 and divorced in 2017, a month before their son was born. His ex-wife, Kate Gallego, is now the mayor of Phoenix.

Gallego was elected in 2010 to the state Legislature, where Sinema also served for one of his two terms. In 2014, he won a bitter congressional primary, toppling a dynastic figure in the Phoenix Latino community. He’s giving up a safe Democratic seat in Congress, a district that includes the Black and Latino neighborhoods of south and west Phoenix.

In Congress, he has focused on veterans and military issues.

Sinema has modeled her political approach on the maverick style of the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who alienated the grassroots of his party by sometimes crossing the aisle to work with Democrats. She’s become a fierce advocate of bipartisan compromise in an era when extreme partisanship has made it much more difficult.

She has been at the center of many of the biggest congressional deals of Biden’s presidency, from a big, bipartisan infrastructure package to a landmark bill to legally protect same-sex marriages. But she’s also become estranged from many Democrats, who blame her for voting down progressive priorities like a minimum wage hike and watering down others, like Biden’s big social spending initiatives. She single-handedly thwarted Democrats’ longtime goal of raising taxes on wealthy investors.

Her support for maintaining the filibuster, a Senate rule requiring 60 of 100 votes to pass most legislation, has made her a pariah among Democrats, who need Republican support to pass most bills despite controlling a majority of seats. The tension reached a head in 2021, when Democrats tried and failed to pass voting rights legislation.

Sinema doubled down on her position last week, telling global elites in Davos, Switzerland, that democracy didn’t collapse in the 2022 election despite her support for the filibuster.

Related Topics:Kyrsten Sinema politics Ruben Gallego

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Florida

Trump Plans Fort Myers Rally as Byron Donalds Seeks to Become Florida’s First Black Governor

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2026

FNN NEWS

President Donald Trump, wearing a dark suit and yellow tie, descends aircraft stairs at Palm Beach International Airport with three men behind him.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (FNN) — President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a midterm rally in Fort Myers on Friday, Oct. 23, bringing his campaign efforts to the congressional district represented by his endorsed candidate for Florida governor, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

Donalds, the Republican nominee, faces Democrat David Jolly in the Nov. 3 election. If elected, Donalds would become Florida’s first Black governor, succeeding term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Byron Donalds, wearing a navy suit and yellow tie, gestures while speaking behind a Turning Point Action podium.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds speaks at a Turning Point Action event in Florida. Photo by Roman Garay / Florida National News.

Rally Set for Oct. 23

Trump’s remarks are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 10:30 a.m., according to the Republican Party’s event registration page. All times are Eastern.

Gulf Coast News reports that the rally will take place at Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University. However, the official GOP registration page still lists the venue as “To Be Announced.” Attendees should check that page for confirmation and updates.

Prominent conservative figures, including Tucker Carlson, then-former President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds and Megyn Kelly, rallied Republican voters during the Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, July 15-16, 2023.
Photo by Roman D. Garay / Florida National News.

Trump’s Endorsement Connects President to Historic Bid

Trump has endorsed Donalds, whose campaign lists the president among its prominent Republican supporters. The Fort Myers visit places Trump in Donalds’ Southwest Florida political base during the closing weeks of the election.

Following his primary victory, Donalds acknowledged Trump’s influence among Republican voters.

“Obviously, he has the strongest following of anybody in our party,” Donalds said, according to Associated Press reporting.

A Donalds victory would give Florida its first Black governor and extend Republican leadership in the governor’s office. Trump’s endorsement connects the president to that potentially historic outcome, although the rally announcement does not identify the event as exclusively supporting Donalds.

Republican Unity and Voter Turnout

Donalds called for Republicans to unite after the primary, telling supporters, “Tonight we are one united Republican Party,” according to the AP.

The Fort Myers rally will provide Trump another platform to address supporters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The published event announcement confirms his appearance but does not list additional speakers.

Politics

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters Calls Trump an ‘Absolute Machine’ Ahead of Midterm Elections

Published

1 week ago

October 17, 2026

FNN NEWS

WASHINGTON (FNN) — Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters is urging Republicans to focus on voter turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, praising President Donald Trump’s campaign appearances and arguing that the party’s success depends on getting supporters to the polls.

In a Fox News appearance highlighted in an RNC news release, Gruters described Trump as an “absolute machine” and pointed to the president’s rallies as a central part of Republicans’ election strategy.

Gruters: ‘It’s All About Turnout Now’

Gruters expressed confidence in Republican candidates while sharply criticizing their Democratic opponents.

“We have strong candidates; [Democrats] have incredibly weak candidates. It’s all about turnout now. That’s why the president’s going to all these rallies. He’s an absolute machine, getting the job done,” Gruters said, according to the release.

His remarks emphasized voter mobilization as Republicans seek to protect and expand their congressional majorities.

RNC Chairman Highlights Trump’s Policies

Gruters also praised the administration’s policies, particularly its approach to the southern border, presenting those efforts as reasons voters should support Republican candidates.

“This president deserves a lot of credit. He deserves a lot of praise for all these great things that he has done,” he said.

The release included broader claims about border enforcement and drug trafficking but did not provide supporting data. Those statements represent Gruters’ assessment of the administration’s record.

Florida Connection to National GOP Leadership

Gruters, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, now leads the national party’s effort to rally Republican voters. The Florida GOP described him as a longtime Trump ally when announcing his election as RNC chairman.

His national role places a political leader with Florida party experience at the forefront of Republicans’ midterm turnout campaign.

Closing Message: Get Supporters to the Polls

“This race all comes down to turnout,” Gruters said.

He framed the election as a choice about the country’s direction and urged voters to continue supporting Trump and conservative leadership.

“If you believe in the American dream, and you still have hope that you or your children could achieve it, then you’ve got to continue the leadership of the conservative party and this president, Donald J. Trump.”

Business

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson Listed as Speaker for Global AI, Supply Chain Summit

Published

3 weeks ago

October 9, 2026

FNN NEWS

Organizers say the Oct. 26–27 conference will bring together business leaders, policymakers and technology professionals for discussions on global commerce, digital transformation and industry innovation.

DALLAS, TX (FNN) — Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson is listed as an invited speaker for the Global Procurement, Supply Chain, AI & Logistics Summit and Global Recognition Awards 2026, scheduled for Oct. 26–27 in Dallas, according to an announcement from the event’s organizer.

The American Association of Procurement, Supply Chain and Tourism Management, known as AAPSCM, said the two-day summit will take place at the AC Hotel & Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria, 5460 James Temple Drive.

The conference will focus on artificial intelligence, supply chain resilience, innovation and the future of global commerce.

Mayor listed among international speakers

Organizers identified Johnson among the invited speakers joining executives, policymakers, academics, consultants and professionals in procurement, supply chain management, technology and logistics.

The announcement describes participants as coming “from the United States and around the world.”

According to the release, Johnson is listed among speakers participating in the Oct. 27 program. The announcement does not specify the subject or time of his remarks.

AI, forecasting and digital transformation

The second day’s agenda includes a session on artificial intelligence and machine learning in inventory management, forecasting, and sales and operations planning.

An executive leadership session titled “Driving Innovation & Digital Transformation” is scheduled to follow.

The program will examine technology’s role in procurement, logistics and supply chain operations, with an emphasis on how leaders respond to changing business conditions.

Awards to recognize industry achievement

The summit will also include procurement and supply chain awards, followed by Global Excellence Awards recognizing individuals, organizations and industry leaders.

Organizers said the awards program includes more than 35 categories spanning procurement, supply chain management, artificial intelligence and logistics.

The announcement describes the awards as recognizing “achievement, innovation and leadership.”

Executives and decision-makers expected

AAPSCM said it expects attendees to include chief executives, chief procurement officers, chief supply chain officers, chief operating officers and technology leaders.

The anticipated audience also includes procurement directors, logistics professionals, government representatives and specialists in AI and digital transformation.

About the organizer

AAPSCM describes itself as a U.S.-based nonprofit professional organization that supports professional development through certification, education, training, membership, conferences and international collaboration.

Event and registration information

Event: 2nd Global Procurement, Supply Chain, AI & Logistics Summit & Global Recognition Awards 2026
Dates: Oct. 26–27, 2026
Venue: AC Hotel & Residence Inn Dallas by the Galleria
Address: 5460 James Temple Drive, Dallas, Texas 75240
Organizer: American Association of Procurement, Supply Chain and Tourism Management
Registration: aapscm-conferences.org
Organization: aapscm.org