Overview

• The Kari Lake War Room account, which identifies itself as the official team account for Kari Lake, posted an image Tuesday pairing Sen. Ruben Gallego with his father's mugshot and labeled them 'Cartel Daddy.'
• Gallego responded by framing his trajectory as an example of American opportunity, noting he rejected his father's actions and won a Senate seat.
• Gallego has long said his father abandoned the family and that he legally added his immigrant mother's surname in 2008 to honor her.
• The broadside echoes tactics Lake used late in the 2024 Arizona Senate campaign attempting to tie Gallego to criminal elements through his father's past.
• Reporting notes President Trump announced Lake as a senior adviser to the U.S. Agency for Global Media in March, and that a March 14 executive order was described as effectively eliminating the agency, whose website has not been updated since March 15.