Gallego to headline Alaska Democrats' emergency town hall, ramping up 2028 speculation

The Hill

a day ago

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is headlining an emergency virtual town hall hosted by the Alaska Democratic Party on Wednesday, ramping up speculation over potential 2028 ambitions.
The virtual town hall, which also includes a handful of local Alaska lawmakers, is expected to touch on the negative implications to health care access from Republicans' massive tax and spending bill, which is currently being taken up again in the House, and 'the attacks to the Alaskan educational system that state Republicans have pushed during the most recent legislative session,' according to a press release.
Gallego's participation in the event was first shared with The Hill.
'Donald Trump, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan sent a clear message to the American people today: Your kids, your job, and your elderly relatives don't matter. This is one of the worst bills in the history of Congress,' said Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin in a statement, ridiculing President Trump's megabill as a 'billionaire budget scam.'
'That's why the Alaska Dems are now convening an emergency town hall to let the people of Alaska know exactly how Murkowski and Sullivan sold them out,' Martin added. 'Billionaires don't need a break — working Alaska families do.'
Gallego in his own statement rebuked both Alaska GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, saying they 'sold out Alaska–voting for billionaire tax cuts while gutting health care for kids' and warning that Alaskans would be negatively impacted by Republicans' major policy bill.
'People will die because of these cuts, thousands will lose coverage, and families will face impossible choices,' the Arizona Democrat continued. 'We can't let them get away with it, and that's why I'm fighting back — because Alaskans deserve better.'
The town hall comes one day after Senate Republicans narrowly passed Trump's agenda-setting bill, which looks to extend the 2017 tax cuts in addition to other GOP priorities. One of Democrats' top concerns over the bill is the major cuts to Medicaid, with millions projected to lose their health insurance.
It's not the first time Gallego has participated in a town hall outside of his state, In May, he was part of a town hall in Bucks County, Pa., which was hosted by the Pennsylvania GOP and county Republican Party.
The first-term senator has also weighed in on several Senate races ahead of the 2026 midterms, backing Reps. Chris Pappas (D) in New Hampshire and Angie Craig (D) in Minnesota, fueling questions around Gallego's future political aspirations.
He also acknowledged in an interview with NBC News earlier this year that he has thought about running for president, but noted he wasn't placing his focus there at the moment.
The Arizona Democrat defeated Republican Kari Lake in November to replace former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) despite Democrats losing the state at the presidential level, one of several Senate Democrats who outperformed the top of the ticket last cycle.