A New Jerseyan, Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, will serve as chief of staff to the new Democratic U.S. Senator from Arizona, Ruben Gallego.
Chavez-Fernandez, 34, served as state director to U.S. Senator Bob Menendez before joining President Joe Biden’s administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In late 2022, he became Gallego’s chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He also worked at Mercury, a New Jersey public affairs firm, where he was a protege of Michael Soliman and Mo Butler.
Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake in a close contest, 50%-48%.
A U.S. Marine combat veteran who served in Iraq, Gallego won the open seat of Ed Pastor, a Democrat who retired after 23 years in the House. Pastor won the seat in a 1991 special election following the death of Morris Udall.