Why the Iran war feels like 'deja vu' (with Sen. Ruben Gallego)

Why the Iran war feels like 'deja vu' (with Sen. Ruben Gallego)

From The Conversation with Dasha Burns by POLITICO

March 20, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

Sen. Ruben Gallego discusses his Senate victory, military perspectives, and the future of the Democratic Party with Dasha Burns.

When Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) won his Senate seat in 2024, he outperformed Kamala Harris in one of the closest battleground states in the country. Now that he’s in Washington, Gallego’s background is particularly relevant at this moment in politics. With the Iran War intensifying, Gallego offers his perspective as an Iraq War veteran on Trump’s military operation. And as a Latino Democratic senator of a border state, Gallego has a distinctive outlook on immigration, with criticism for his own party as well as the GOP. Sen. Gallego sat down with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on “The Conversation” to talk about voter ID, the 2028 election, and if he thinks Democrats can become the “fun” party again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Dasha Burns

Guest: Sen. Ruben Gallego

Topics covered

  • Senate politics
  • immigration
  • military operations
  • Democratic Party
  • voter ID
  • 2028 election

Keywords

  • Ruben Gallego
  • Democrats
  • Iraq War
  • immigration
  • voter ID
  • 2028 election
  • Iran War

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: POLITICO

Places: Arizona, Washington, Iran, Iraq

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