Congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona surprised his wife by asking her for a divorce just days before she was due to give birth, according to the court documents that he worked hard to keep hidden.
The 44-year-old Democratic lawmaker, who is in the home stretch of a contentious Senate race, reportedly told his ex-wife, current Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, that their marriage was over on December 15, 2016.
He has since been in a relationship with a much younger second wife.
Gallego filed a motion to seal the case the same day and has been fighting with the court The free beacon of Washington all year to keep it that way after the conservative outlet filed a lawsuit seeking access to the data.
In the documents, Kate appeared to be surprised by Gallego’s characterization of their marriage as “irretrievably broken,” and responded in court that she was “without knowledge” of his intentions.
In 2016, Congressman Ruben Gallego blinded his heavily pregnant wife (current Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, pictured together in 2014) with divorce papers when she was ‘probably due to give birth any day’
Gallego, who is now in a contentious Senate race in Arizona, subsequently married lobbyist Sydney Warren, who was 14 years his junior, after his divorce was finalized.
The release of Gallego’s divorce papers comes three weeks before he faces MAGA inciter Kari Lake in Arizona’s Senate elections, where polls consistently show this him with a healthy lead.
Lake, the Republican candidate, has suggested in recent weeks that the divorce data would upset the race, repeatedly saying it would be a “big story.”
“I hope everyone who says they’re going to vote for him will wait until we get the details about why he walked out on his wife when she was nine months pregnant,” she said during an appearance with KTAR-FM.
Lake added at the time, “We don’t know if it was spousal abuse.”
However, the 2016 divorce documents directly refute any claims of abuse, stating that “there was no domestic violence in the marriage” and that “no significant domestic violence occurred.”
Gallego’s Senate opponent Kari Lake (pictured at a rally with Donald Trump on Sunday) drew up Gallego’s divorce papers before they were unsealed, saying “we don’t know if it was spousal abuse.” The files show that there was no abuse
The Gallegos slammed Lake after the archives were released and demanded an apology, saying they fought to keep them private from the son they share
After the documents were released, the Gallegos released a joint statement condemning his Senate opponent Lake for suggesting the documents reveal some form of scandal or domestic violence.
“We demand an apology from Kari Lake for lying about our family and the circumstances of our divorce,” the statement said.
“She will do anything to score a cheap political point – even if it means jeopardizing the privacy and well-being of our young son.”
Yavapai County Judge John Napper, who ordered the case unsealed, also downplayed the files, saying that “everyone is going to be quite disappointed” by the details – and also calling it “one of the most diverse divorce files I have ever seen.” ‘
When Gallego filed for divorce, he noted in his claim that his heavily pregnant wife “had not yet served her due date” and was “probably due to give birth any day” when she found out.
His reasoning for the divorce was that their ‘marriage (was) irretrievably broken’ and ‘there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation’.
While Kate said she was “not privy to sufficient information to make a judgment” on his claims, Gallego also argued that his wife should pay for the divorce proceedings.
Gallego asked the court that Kate should not be entitled to “long-term spousal support,” claiming that “neither party needs or is entitled to an award of long-term spousal support.”
Gallego met his wife Sydney months after his divorce was finalized, and they later welcomed a daughter, Isla, in July 2023.
Kate served on the Phoenix City Council at the time of the divorce and was elected mayor of Phoenix in March 2019.
Kate initially asked for spousal support, but later admitted that they were both “financially independent and no financial assistance in the form of spousal support is needed now or in the future.”
Divorce records in Arizona are typically public, but Gallego filed to have their records sealed because “each party is a prominent public official,” and their case “would likely receive intense media scrutiny.”
Their divorce was finalized in April 2017. Kate served on the Phoenix City Council at the time and was elected mayor of Phoenix in March 2019.
The couple welcomed a son shortly after their divorce was finalized. A little more than a year later, Gallego, then 39, says he met his current wife, lobbyist Sydney Barron, 25. They later welcomed a daughter, Isla, in July 2023.
The two announced their marriage in early 2020, with Gallego declaring to supporters that he was “the luckiest man in the world.”
Both Ruben and Kate Gallego asked the court to keep their divorce papers sealed, citing concerns about their son’s privacy.