Gallego headed to Pennsylvania amid talk of White House bid

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is heading to Pennsylvania this week to participate in a town hall in the swing county of Bucks County, according to the Democratic National Committee, driving speculation over whether he might be harboring presidential ambitions.

Gallego will appear at a state party-hosted town hall Saturday as a part of a broader “Fight to Save Medicaid” initiative as Democrats ramp up pressure on Republicans over the reconciliation package.

Medicaid is one of the key issues in the debate over the reconciliation bill. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has been tasked with finding cuts that would save $880 billion that are part of GOP efforts to achieve their budget priorities. The panel has jurisdiction over Medicaid, which is likely to be impacted in the spending cuts and has become a source of Democrat-led attacks on the party and has put Republicans in swing districts on the defensive.

Gallego will be visiting Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s (R-Pa.) district, which is in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates his seat as “likely Republican.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin called Gallego a “critical voice” for the party in a statement.

“We’re thrilled that he will headline the Bucks County ‘People’s Town Hall’ during our ‘Fight to Save Medicaid’ month of action,” Martin said. “Brian Fitzpatrick has the opportunity to do the right thing and vote ‘no’ to save Medicaid for millions of Americans, including those in his district. As Fitzpatrick continues to bow down to Trump and the billionaire class, Democrats like Senator Gallego are taking the fight directly to their districts across the country.”

But Gallego’s visit is also raising questions around whether the Arizona Democrat may be considering a presidential bid as he visits a key swing county in a battleground state.

Gallego was elected to the Senate in November, defeating Republican Kari Lake. His election was seen as a bright spot for Democrats in the state given former Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss in Arizona.