Rep. Ruben Gallego visited the Tempe campus on Wednesday, Oct. 16, where he met with students and encouraged them to vote early in the upcoming election.
Gallego, who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2014, is running for the U.S. Senate in the 2024 election cycle. This stop is part of his November campaign, continuing after the debate with fellow candidate Kari Lake on Oct. 10.
Students lined up across the street from the Sun Devil Fitness Center to take photos with him and ask questions about his campaign. In partnership with Young Democrats at ASU and Sun Devils for Harris, he set up a tent that provided signs, fliers and election information.
"There’s this idea that politicians are lofty and far away and not directly involved in the communities and issues you care about, and Gallego is someone who has represented a complete lifetime of service," said Ben Ash, a senior studying history and political science.
Gallego started his service with his military career, where he served in the Iraq War as a Marine Corps infantryman in 2005, according to his website.
Dhruv Rebba, a junior studying computer science and a member of Young Democrats, also said that it is important for students to take advantage of these opportunities, as not everyone will have the chance to talk to someone running for Senate.
"He stands for the issues we think about," Rebba said.
Rebba said Gallego supports tackling issues that will impact college voters, such as abortion rights, affordable housing and his pursuit to lower costs for everyday Americans. Rebba cited the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that Gallego voted for.
On his website, Gallego said he works toward lowering costs, "because of his experience growing up paycheck to paycheck."
Ash also said Gallego’s stances on these subjects, particularly as Arizona is "on the frontlines" with issues like immigration and abortion.
"Gallego represents a positive change, someone who is going to work across the aisle and who has a history of working across the aisle," Ash said.
Ash said Gallego will focus on working with students as well. Gallego is from an immigrant family and was a first-generation college student when he attended Harvard University.
The Sun Devils for Harris booth also offered ballot guides for students and had members encourage passersby to vote early. Rebba said that since the Tempe campus’ polling location is at the SDFC, students who met Gallego also had easy access to voting.
READ MORE: What’s on the ballot: A guide to Arizona’s propositions for the November election
Ash, who also canvassed in 2022 and found it to be a rewarding experience, said that this event allowed Sun Devils for Harris to look for new volunteers and gauge student support for Gallego.
Laurie Wyatt, a volunteer with Arizona Democrats’ Sun Devils for Harris, said that the election this year is a critical one, particularly with Kari Lake running for Senate.
Lake, who has made appearances at ASU as well, is currently behind Gallego by 5 percentage points, according to a Redfield & Wilson Strategies poll.
READ MORE: Kari Lake, Charlie Kirk visit ASU during ‘Greeks for Trump’ voter registration drive
However, the gap between the two candidates has decreased since their Oct. 9 debate.
Amid concerns over Lake’s previous election fraud claims, Wyatt said it is important for the election to maintain democracy, and it is important to volunteer and motivate young people to vote in November.
"I have a very comfortable life, and I am not in need of the things that will be provided so much as the younger generation is," Wyatt said. "I want to fight for them."
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Ramirez and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at pkfung@asu.edu and follow @FungPippa on X.
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Pippa is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with minors in political science and German. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio and the Los Alamos National Lab.
