Ruben Gallego Says He’s ‘Not on the Hook’ to Lobbyists. He’s Sponsored Bills Backed by His Lobbyist Wife.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) says that if elected to the Senate, he will “not be on the hook” to lobbyists and other special interests. That might be news to his wife, a self-proclaimed “Democratic lobbyist” for a real estate trade group that frequently ranks as the top-spending lobbyist group in the country.
Since 2019, Gallego has voted for 38 bills for which his wife, Sydney Barron, has lobbied as director of government advocacy at the National Association of Realtors, lobbying disclosures show. Barron, who says her job is to develop legislative strategy that “target[s] House Democrats,” has lobbied for 17 bills that Gallego has either sponsored or cosponsored, according to congressional records.
The National Association of Realtors has contributed $34,000 to Gallego’s campaign since 2014, according to campaign finance reports. In July 2021, the association gifted Gallego and Barron an all-expenses-paid trip to The Greenbrier, a swanky resort in West Virginia, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Gallego, who is running to unseat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I., Ariz.), has not been accused of wrongdoing. But the House Committee on Ethics has warned members that “special caution must be exercised” by members married to lobbyists in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
“At a minimum, such an official should not permit the spouse to lobby either him- or herself or any of his or her subordinates,” the committee says.
It’s unclear if Gallego has ever voted against legislation Barron lobbied in favor of. Neither he nor Barron responded to requests for comment on whether they have been on opposite sides of a bill, or whether Barron has directly lobbied Gallego or his staff…..
*****
Continue reading this article at The Washington Free Beacon.
