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Just over 24 hours after announcing his 2024 U.S. Senate candidacy for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's seat in Arizona, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego set multiple fundraising records and made clear the vast difference between his approach to public service and that of his opponent.<\/p>
Gallego announced he has already raised more than $1 million, bringing in more than 27,000 donations since launching his campaign<\/a> Monday morning. <\/p> The congressman broke Sen. Mark Kelly's (D-Ariz.) previous 24-hour fundraising record in the state\u2014doing so in just eight hours\u2014and distinguished his relationship with small donors from Sinema's (I-Ariz.) reliance<\/a> on Wall Street and corporate PACs for contributions.<\/p> The individual donations Gallego has already received in just one day surpass the amount that \"Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has received in the last three years,\" said his campaign.<\/p> The early fundraising haul \"speaks to the excitement and grassroots support for his candidacy and the momentum behind the campaign to return Sen. Sinema's seat back to the hands of everyday Arizonans,\" the campaign added. <\/p> \"I am extremely grateful for the support our campaign has received since entering this race,\" said Gallego. \"We're running a grassroots campaign to take back this seat for hardworking Arizonans, and this fundraising record proves that. While Sen. Sinema collects huge checks from powerful special interests, this campaign is going to be funded by the people, and that's the way it should be.\"<\/p> As the donations poured in, Gallego appeared<\/a> on MSNBC<\/em>'s \"The Last Word\" to say he supports reforming the legislative filibuster, which he called a \"tool of obstruction\" that Sinema supports and has called an \"important guardrail for the institution.\"<\/p> He also announced a number of in-person events he plans to hold in the coming weeks across the state, noting that Sinema has been criticized<\/a> for not holding public town halls with her constituents and instead attending<\/a> high-dollar fundraisers.<\/p> \"Arizona: You've been neglected by Washington for far too long,\" said Gallego, announcing events in Tucson, Navajo Nation, Phoenix, and other cities. \"I'm sorry that your senator, Kyrsten Sinema, has let you down. But I'm going to change that.\"<\/p>\n