Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said in an interview on Sunday that he’s considering launching a bid for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. “Obviously, like any other elected official, especially ones that won red states in 2024, we have to look at it,” Gallego told NBC News. Gallego attended the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association’s annual dinner in Chicago, which had a mostly Latino audience. Around 900 people attended the dinner, NBC News noted. “Let’s be clear about one thing, and let’s not let anybody forget, especially in this environment right now: Latinos are patriots,” Gallego said at the event, according to the outlet. “We have loved this country, even if this country does not fully love us,” he added. Sen. Ruben Gallego considers a 2028 presidential run: 'We have to look at it' https://t.co/1FSj6pUSIV pic.twitter.com/j58gREiIOO — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 6, 2026 NBC News shared further: Just one year into his Senate tenure after a bitter 2024 campaign against Republican Kari Lake, Gallego, 46, a father of three, said there are several considerations he must still make as he weighs a potential presidential bid. Chief among them was getting approval from his family and determining whether he could take on a national campaign and still be a present father. “I have three kids — for now. We’re a young family. We might want to have more,” Gallego said. “I have to look at it to make sure that I’m actually going to be good at it.” He said he also has to consider that “if someone else can win this, then there’s no reason for me to be egotistical about this.” “Lastly, I feel like it has to be an extension of my service to the country,” Gallego continued. “Because it’s not easy. It’s not easy to be away from your family. It’s not easy having to sacrifice normal everyday stuff like not being able to be with your kids.” Gallego spoke of how his father, who is Mexican, was abusive and eventually left the family. His mother, who is Colombian, raised him and his sisters. He said it was important for him to not be an absent dad after growing up without a dad in the house. Gallego spent his early years on Chicago’s South Side, in the Gage Park neighborhood, then moved to the village of Evergreen Park when he was in 7th grade. “No matter who runs, even if it’s not me, the candidate that wins in 2028 is going to have to get the Latino vote back to at least 62%. That is the ‘Pass Go’ line, collect $200 on the Monopoly board. We didn’t hit that in 2024 and that’s why we find ourselves in this situation,” the Democratic senator said in the interview. According to POLITICO correspondent Adam Wren, Gallego will be “among the group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates who will sit with Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention on Thursday.” Scoop in @playbookdc: @RubenGallego will be among the group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates who will sit with Rev. Al Sharpton at the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/Uc4VpIwNeb — Adam Wren (@adamwren) April 6, 2026 More from The Hill: The Arizona Democrat is a Harvard University graduate, Marine Corps veteran and was raised in a single-parent home. His ability to capture a voting bloc inside of a red state carried by President Trump in the last election has sparked some discussion about Gallego contending for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. A major focus for the senator remains the inclusion of Latin American voters as an ideal base for party success amid increased immigration and deportation operations. “If you talk to working-class Latinos, we’re very, unfortunately, we have too much experience with immigration. We know there needs to be an immigration force that deports bad people. We want bad people out. We want bad people stopped from getting in illegally,” Gallego said during the NBC interview. “We do need to reform it. We need to right-size it. We need to pen it in to make sure that it’s not being abusive. But this idea that there’s not going to be an immigration enforcement mechanism in this country is ridiculous, because that’s never going to happen,” he added. Amid the ongoing war in Iran, Gallego said he disagrees with backing Israel’s offensive strike campaign and their attacks on Lebanon but supports giving them resources for defense.