Ruben Gallego’s leaked texts mocking Democrats’ looks & masculinity intensify temperament concerns

First-year U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona is facing intensified scrutiny after leaked text messages showed the Democrat deriding the appearance of women and men in his own party. The comments mirror far-right rhetoric about gender and deepen concerns about his recent repositioning on LGBTQ+ issues.

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In the messages, first circulated by a conservative outlet and reported by People last week Gallego, who started his first term in the U.S. Senate in January after previously serving in the House, complained that Democrats are “not allowing men to be men” or “women to be hot,” and wrote, “Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women.” He also lamented that Democrats had become “the not fun party” and no longer embodied “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”

Related: Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego adopts anti-trans, far-right talking points

He made some of these remarks after receiving a meme that included an image of 82-year-old Connecticut U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a fellow Democrat.

The remarks came at a moment of escalating political and legislative hostility toward transgender Americans. Seeing a Democratic senator, who replaced Democrat-turned-independent bisexual Sen. Krysten Sinema, use the same gender-policing language deployed by anti-trans commentators has alarmed advocates, who say the rhetoric legitimizes narratives that treat gender nonconformity as a cultural defect rather than a civil rights issue, independent journalist Erin Reed notes on her Substack newsletter Erin in the Morning.

The revelations about his texts also come after months of movement by Gallego away from previously held support for transgender rights. In May, The Advocate reported that Gallego described concerns about transgender girls in sports as “legitimate,” a shift LGBTQ+ groups warned would empower discriminatory policymaking. He later voted for a defense bill containing a ban on gender-affirming surgeries for military personnel.

Related: Eight times Kyrsten Sinema let down the LGBTQ+ community — and others

In an interview with local ABC affiliate KNXV last week, Gallego confirmed the leaked texts were authentic and said he was “heartbroken” that a longtime friend shared them. But he did not retreat from their content. “I do think we have to be an open and bigger tent party,” he said, arguing Democrats “are not as inclusive as [they] should be” and must “expand the tent to allow more people in."

He added that the remarks were “a reflection of... everything I’ve said.”

What remains unanswered is how mocking Democrats’ attractiveness, or implying the party’s struggles stem from insufficient femininity or masculinity, aligns with a call for greater inclusivity.

Gallego’s office did not respond to The Advocate’s request for comment.

Just weeks before the leak, Gallego appeared for a 30-minute onstage conversation with Jon Lovett at Crooked Media’s inaugural Crooked Con in Washington, D.C., where the senator argued that Democrats must communicate more directly with working-class voters. He described his approach to helping people “live a good, fulfilling life,” emphasizing stability, dignity, and authenticity. He urged Democrats to show cultural fluency across communities, from lowrider shows to suburban pickleball courts, and to act with more confidence and risk-taking.

“If we’re more liked than the other side, we’re going to win,” Gallego told Lovett.