Swalwell pal accused of using campaign cash to bankroll ‘luxury lifestyle’ — including Super Bowl tickets
Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona who was a key ally of disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, used campaign cash to fund luxury trips with his family and to cover his childcare expenses, according to campaign finance filings and a source familiar with his finances.
Gallego, through his leadership PAC, has paid for trips to the Caribbean island getaway of Saint Barthélemy, Disneyland, Disney World, Miami and Chicago, finance filings show. A source familiar with Gallego’s spending told Politico that the lawmaker would often bring his family along for the luxury jaunts, and use donor cash to pay for babysitting services.
"He just spends his campaign account like it’s his personal slush fund," the source said. "He’s using campaign cash to live a luxury lifestyle."
Campaign finance records show that Gallego’s leadership PAC and his campaign have collectively paid over $18,000 to cover childcare costs, including a $400 payment to his wife’s mother.
"This is not breaking news," he told Politco of expenses for childcare and family travel. "With the rising costs of childcare and the burden it has on the budgets of American families, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House alike regularly travel with their wives and children, as is permitted by the FEC."
In one campaign expense, Gallego and Swalwell established a joint fundraising committee that they then used to pay for tickets to watch Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The event, which cost over $37,000, was billed as a fundraising operation where they recruited donors to attend the game and have brunch with them in exchange for a sufficiently high campaign contribution.
The duo of lawmakers each profited just under $8,000 from the event, effectively shuttering the joint committee after the game.
A Gallego spokesperson told Politico that the "tickets were purchased at fair market value" and that "hosting donors and supporters at sporting events in their areas is a common, bipartisan practice."
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The source familiar with Gallego’s finances told Politico that the trip to Saint Barthélemy was for his wife’s boss’ birthday and that the trip to Miami, where he racked up $9,000 in charges at a beachfront hotel, was to commemorate his wife’s birthday.
A Gallego spokesperson explained to Politico that the travel to Saint Barthélemy was part of "a multi-stop political and fundraising swing — as senators regularly do," and that on the Miami trip the senator and his wife "attended several widely attended political events and fundraisers."
Federal lawmakers are barred from using funds donated to their primary campaign committees for "personal use," or expenses that are not related to their campaigns for office. Leadership PACs, however, are held to a looser standard wherein expenditures are allowed so long as they serve some kind of fundraising purpose.
There is nothing that suggests any of Gallego's leadership PAC expenditures were made unlawfully.
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Gallego is far from the only legislator to use his leadership PAC in this way, with many lawmakers using their committees to fund pricey trips to exclusive locations.
Transparency advocates have argued that the permissive spending rules surrounding how politicians can use funds donated by leadership PACs allow corporate interests to more easily accrue influence with lawmakers by contributing to what is effectively an account for their luxury expenses. About half of the donations to Gallego’s leadership PAC have come from corporate sources, according to campaign finance records.
Gallego is reportedly exploring a 2028 presidential run, with many seeing him as a progressive with significant crossover appeal following his 2024 Arizona Senate victory. Some in the senator’s inner circle, however, have doubts that he could make it through vetting, according to the source who spoke with Politico.
His longtime friendship with Swalwell, who suspended his campaign for California governor and resigned from Congress following multiple allegations of sexual assault, is seen as one potential vulnerability. Additionally, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has pressed the Senate to investigate Gallego over alleged sexual misconduct and campaign finance infractions.
The senator has dismissed the allegations. IRS records show that he established a legal defense fund last month.
"Any person close to Gallego would know that he is one of the most vetted candidates after his tough 2024 campaign where millions of dollars were spent against him," Jacques Petit, Gallego’s communications director, told Politico. "Despite that, he overperformed the top of the ticket. Now he is focused on delivering for Arizonans and electing Democrats in 2026."
Gallego did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.