Unsealed Divorce Records Reveal No Major Scandals in Arizona Senate Race
Credit: LM Otero / AP file
Some right-wing media figures have been promoting the unsealing of Democratic Senate candidate Ruben Gallego’s divorce records as a potential game-changer in the 2024 Arizona Senate race. However, after the records were made public, the much-anticipated revelations have fallen flat, according to a report from The Arizona Republic.
The court records, related to Gallego’s divorce from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, were expected to contain damaging information that could shift the dynamics of the closely watched race. But as The Arizona Republic points out, the documents hold no significant or scandalous details.
The most notable aspect of the records is that Ruben Gallego filed for divorce from his wife shortly before she gave birth to their son, and he sought to keep the proceedings private from the outset. However, this timing had already been publicly known before the records were unsealed, meaning it did not provide any new or unexpected information.
“The ensuing documents shuttled between lawyers for both of them show no claim of infidelity or physical abuse in their marriage,” the report states. Gallego has previously attributed the divorce, which occurred in December 2016, to the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) he developed after serving in the Iraq War. In a past interview with The Washington Post, he admitted to having “extreme outbursts” as a result of his PTSD.
Additionally, the records reveal that both Ruben and Kate Gallego were equally concerned about keeping the details of their separation private, largely to protect their young son from any negative fallout. The couple’s shared priority was ensuring that personal matters would not affect their child’s well-being or become fodder for public scrutiny.
The idea that these documents might contain explosive revelations was debunked even before their release. Earlier this year, Yavapai Superior Court Judge John Napper indicated that the records would likely disappoint those looking for scandalous material. “I’ve reviewed this entire file multiple times now. I think everyone’s going to be rather deflated with the results of it,” Napper said in June. “This is a, well, I’m not a politician, and maybe this will be very, very important information. But this looks to me like one of the most garden-variety divorce files I have ever seen.”
Despite the hype, the divorce records offer no new information that could significantly impact Gallego’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate. While some conservative media figures may have hoped for a bombshell revelation, the reality is that the unsealed documents are largely unremarkable.
With the court records now public and lacking any major scandal, the attention on Gallego’s personal life is likely to subside, allowing the focus to return to the broader issues shaping the 2024 Senate race in Arizona. For Gallego, who has been open about his struggles with PTSD and the difficulties in his personal life, the release of these documents is unlikely to alter the trajectory of his campaign.
