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Sinema, who switched from Democrat to independent in December,
had been a maverick within the Democratic Party, voting against
several of President Joe Biden's priorities over the past two
years. That angered many Democrats, some of whom had encouraged
primary challengers even before Sinema left the party.
While Sinema has portrayed herself as an independent dealmaker,
she is unpopular among both Democrats and Republicans in the
state, according to most polls.
She did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Gallego, who has been in Congress since 2014, represents most of
Phoenix, Arizona's capital. He is the child of a single mother
and served in the U.S. Marines in Iraq, where his unit suffered
an extraordinarily high casualty rate.
In a launch video released on Twitter, which included a line in
Spanish, he spoke of his experiences overcoming adversity.
"Growing up poor, all I had was the American dream," he wrote in
comments accompanying the video.
"It kept me going: as a kid sleeping on the floor, a student
scrubbing toilets, a Marine losing brothers in Iraq."
The race represents a delicate balancing act for both parties,
and the stakes are high.
Arizona is among the most competitive states in the country, and
Democrats and Republicans will be wary of splitting votes
between their nominee and Sinema.
Democrats hold a one-seat advantage in the Senate, when Sinema
and two other left-leaning independents are counted among their
ranks. But the next election in 2024 is expected to be tough for
the majority party, as Democrats will be defending several seats
in competitive or Republican-leaning states.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Scott Malone and Sharon
Singleton)
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