Newly unsealed divorce records indicate that U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego filed for divorce from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego in 2016. The year-long court proceedings to unseal these records have impacted both Ruben Gallego’s campaign for an available Senate seat in Arizona and Kate Gallego’s reelection campaign as Phoenix’s mayor.
According to the documents, Ruben Gallego stated in December 2016 that the marriage was “irretrievably broken.” Both parties confirmed there was no domestic violence during their marriage, a requirement in divorces involving a child in Arizona, and they agreed on a co-parenting plan for their son.
The court acknowledged both parents’ love, devotion, and dedication to their child. An Arizona divorce attorney characterized the divorce as amicable, and Yavapai County Superior Court Judge John Napper, who ordered the unsealing of the records, described it as a typical divorce case.
Despite this, Kari Lake, Ruben Gallego’s GOP opponent, portrayed the situation as potentially explosive shortly before the election. Following the unsealing of the records, Ruben and Kate Gallego issued a joint statement demanding an apology from Lake, who had released ads criticizing Ruben Gallego as a “deadbeat dad.”
They stated, “We demand an apology from Kari Lake for misrepresenting our family and the nature of our divorce. She prioritizes political points over the privacy and welfare of our young son.”
The Lake campaign did not comment on the matter but denied involvement in the legal efforts to unseal the divorce records. Meanwhile, the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet, initiated a lawsuit in January to obtain the records. The Beacon’s attorneys argued that the sealing of the records, years ago, was erroneous as the public has an interest in the character and behavior of public figures.
The Gallegos tried to block the release of the records and later sought to redact parts of the filings, focusing on protecting their son’s privacy and safety. Michael Edney, an attorney for the Beacon, referred to the release as a victory for the First Amendment and press freedom, stating, “Court records are presumptively public, and there is no special exception for aspiring Senators.”
Judge Napper allowed certain information to be redacted from the unsealed records, such as details about the Gallegos’ son and their financial situation, while declaring the rest accessible to the public. What remains public depicts a swift and amicable break-up, according to Thea Gilbert, a divorce and family law attorney in Tucson, suggesting that the couple likely agreed on most terms before filing for divorce. “Very amicable divorces, this is the typical process,” she explained.
