Kari Lake may have lost her election more than 10 months ago, but she continues to direct her political fire at Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego. This week, however, Gallego appeared to get the upper hand in their latest exchange.
On Tuesday, Kari Lake War Room, which describes itself as “the official team account for @KariLake,” posted a pointed attack. “Behold: @RubenGallego and his Cartel Daddy. One trafficked drugs. The other traffics bulls–t. Aren’t genetics fascinating?” the account wrote, attaching a side-by-side image of Gallego and the mugshot of his father.
Gallego’s father abandoned him, his mother, and his three siblings during childhood. In 2008, the senator formally added his mother’s family name, Gallego, to honor her and distance himself from his father.
In a sharp response, Gallego turned the insult back on Lake. “This [is] the beauty of America. You can be the son of a drug dealer. Reject his evil ways and end up a Senator by beating a 2nd rate newscaster that never got promoted to a national news desk.”
Gallego has previously addressed his decision to change his name. In 2014, while running for Congress, he explained, “I have been very open about this decision and the circumstances behind it.”
“My mom is an immigrant and struggled every day to raise four kids on her own. Our family never had enough, but she gave all she had to make sure her kids got an education and an opportunity to succeed. Two of us went to Harvard on scholarships, and my sister is going to be a doctor,” he said at the time. “My mom’s last name is Gallego. My father abandoned my family when I was young. His choice to leave made my life and the lives of my three sisters much harder. I slept on the floor until I went to college and my sisters and I had to rely on the free lunch program to make sure we ate. His last name is Marinelarena. My mom is the reason I have had so many incredible opportunities in my life. I’m very proud to have her name.”
Lake tried to raise questions about Gallego’s family ties during the final month of the 2024 campaign, attempting to link him to drug cartels through his father’s past.
More recently, Lake was appointed by President Donald Trump as a senior advisor to the United States Agency for Global Media. However, Trump issued an executive order on March 14 that effectively dismantled the agency. Although its website has not been updated since March 15, Lake still appears to be advising the organization.