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‘Creep’ Democrat senator had sexual relations with two House staffers: report

July 17, 2026 | | Print Article

Like his buddy Eric Swalwell, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is getting a reputation as a horndog, and according to a new report, had sexual relations with “at least” two House staffers who didn’t work for him when he was a congressman.

The hot-tempered Arizona Democrat has been hyped by some as a dark horse 2028 presidential candidate, but his “very flirtatious” habits could be a problem for his aspirations to higher office, with the romantic dalliances suggesting that there could be a sex scandal that could blow up at any time like the ones that ended the political career of his disgraced friend.

In a Thursday report, the New York Post dished on the relationships that took place when Gallego was a House of Representatives member whose district included parts of Phoenix. He was elected to the Senate in 2024.

“The 46-year-old lawmaker admitted to the two relationships — both with aides to Texas Democrats — to one source while a second person said they had recently learned of the romantic entanglements,” the paper reported. “A third source confirmed one of the dalliances, both of which are said to have been consensual and occurred during Gallego’s decade representing Phoenix in the House.”

While House rules don’t ban relationships with outside staffers and the women didn’t work for him at the time, one source told the Post that the flings are representative of a “pattern of mistakes and missteps and judgment calls,” with one of the women being “in her 20s and much younger than Gallego at the time.”

“What else could there be out there?” the source asked.

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The report comes after the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint alleging violations of campaign finance rules and sexual misconduct brought by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), stating last month that it “did not find evidence” that rules or laws were violated.

The Florida Republican reacted to the report, branding Gallego as a “creep” and calling for him to resign in a post to X.

Gallego was a close personal friend of Swalwell’s, the disgraced ex-congressman and former California Democrat gubernatorial candidate whose career was ended earlier this year when multiple women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who said he raped her while she was drunk.

“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the alleged 2024 incident. “He didn’t stop.”

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Gallego, who some described as Swalwell’s “best friend” in Congress, threw him under the bus amid the controversy, saying that his friendship had “clouded my judgment” about him.

He also backed another accused rapist, former Maine Democrat Senate Candidate Graham Platner, who was forced off the race this month amid a firestorm after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. Gallego rescinded his endorsement of the oyster farmer over the “troubling and deeply serious” allegations.

Gallego blew off the Post’s report, telling an NBC reporter, “I’m not going to engage in gossip.”

One unnamed Democrat operative who “has interacted” with the senator told the paper that the news about the staffers was “not surprising” to her.

“I have witnessed firsthand his very flirtatious nature after a couple of drinks,” she added. “Maybe he thinks he’s being charming? I don’t know. Guy gives me the creeps. I’ve always steered clear.”

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Chris Donaldson
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