{"id":755,"date":"2026-06-29T17:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=755"},"modified":"2026-06-29T17:13:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:13:08","slug":"ruben-gallegos-campaign-lawyer-created-a-mystery-nonprofit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=755","title":{"rendered":"Ruben Gallego\u2019s Campaign Lawyer Created a Mystery Nonprofit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sen. Ruben Gallego\u2019s right-hand man quietly created a nonprofit that\u2019s able to raise unlimited funds, according to articles of incorporation and a person who advised the senator and his staff.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Must Pay E. Jean Carroll After SCOTUS Declines to Hear His Appeal<\/a><\/p>\n

Roy Herrera, who serves as legal counsel for Gallego\u2019s political operation and as treasurer<\/u><\/span> of the senator\u2019s leadership PAC, \u201cJuntos PAC,\u201d created the 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization in late February, per the articles of incorporation reviewed by NOTUS.<\/p>\n

According to the person who advised the senator, concerns that the organization, called \u201cTogether America,\u201d might run afoul of campaign finance rules have been raised with Gallego (D-Arizona) and his advisers.<\/p>\n

Herrera, who also works as campaign counsel for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), sent NOTUS \u201cexcerpts from the official memo my team and I wrote governing the organization,\u201d including a mission statement that says Together America is a \u201csocial welfare organization dedicated to engaging, supporting, and empowering Latino and working-class communities,\u201d and that the group \u201cdoes not plan to engage in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to any candidates for public office.\u201d<\/p>\n

One election law attorney, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told NOTUS that Herrera\u2019s involvement in the nonprofit is a \u201cred flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like that too much,\u201d the attorney said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe that any sophisticated operation would put that out that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallego, a potential 2028 presidential candidate<\/u><\/span>, has been under scrutiny for using campaign money \u2014 including funds from the leadership PAC managed by Herrera \u2014 on luxury trips with his family and on child care, as Politico first reported<\/u><\/span>. In response to the report, Gallego said on X<\/u><\/span>, that fundraising tends to take place in \u201cnice venues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know people have opinions on that, but that\u2019s the nature of the campaign system we have in our country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

After multiple emails, texts and phone calls from NOTUS to Herrera and Gallego\u2019s team asking what the nonprofit is designed to do, Herrera told NOTUS \u201cthat the organization is still in the formation process\u201d and while it has been incorporated, it \u201chas not conducted any activities and will shortly begin the process\u201d of applying to be recognized as a 501(c)(4) by the IRS.<\/p>\n

Public officials are allowed to establish nonprofit organizations. But these organizations cannot coordinate with campaigns, and they\u2019re required to be independent from the candidates or public officials they\u2019re supporting. Any nonprofit activity linked<\/u><\/span> to a public official could result in federal prosecution.<\/p>\n

Herrera did not specify why no public announcements or comments had been made about the organization until NOTUS asked about its formation, over four months after it was incorporated.<\/p>\n

Read more Supreme Court Expands Trump\u2019s Power Over Independent Agencies<\/a><\/p>\n

He added that Together America has \u201cconsidered and followed\u201d the rules that govern 501(c)(4) organizations that \u201cmay have a relationship with a federal elected official.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed about NOTUS\u2019 reporting that concerns about the entity were raised with the senator, neither Herrera nor a spokesperson for Gallego responded to that issue.<\/p>\n

Some 2028 hopefuls have also established nonprofit organizations. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker formed \u201cThink Big America\u201d in 2023. Jonathan Berkon, who has served as his attorney, was the incorporator that filed the paperwork for the group. However, unlike Herrera\u2019s operation, Berkon was not listed as the director of the organization and Think Big America was created with a board of directors.<\/p>\n

Herrera told NOTUS \u201cthe organization\u2019s mission aligns with Senator Gallego\u2019s values and we expect he will support its work.\u201d He added that the group \u201cintends to add additional board members as it begins operations,\u201d and Gallego \u201cdoes not and will not\u201d serve in the organization\u2019s board of directors. It\u2019s unclear when the organization will launch.<\/p>\n

The election attorney noted that Benjamin Ginsberg, former President George W. Bush\u2019s campaign lawyer, was criticized for giving legal advice to a nonprofit organization that made advertisements attacking John Kerry, Bush\u2019s Democratic opponent in the 2004 presidential election. Ginsberg told The New York Times<\/u><\/span> at the time that his work with the group was separate from his work with the campaign.<\/p>\n

Politicians have been increasingly attracted<\/u><\/span> to setting up these nonprofits because 501(c)(4) organizations, also known as dark money groups<\/u><\/span>, are allowed to raise and spend unlimited funds on political activities and are not required to disclose their donors.<\/p>\n

Jacques Petit, Gallego\u2019s communications director, did not address concerns that were raised with the senator about the nonprofit. Instead, he told NOTUS, \u201cSenator Gallego and his campaign team stay within the rules and stick to widely used best practices that are very common in both parties. While we respect the press\u2019s role in holding elected leaders to high standards, this kind of story could be written about quite a few people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gallego\u2019s behavior has been under fire since his longtime friend Rep. Eric Swalwell<\/u><\/span> (D-California) was accused of sexual assault and then resigned<\/u><\/span> from Congress. But Gallego has denied any knowledge of Swalwell\u2019s alleged behavior and called for him to be expelled<\/u><\/span>. NOTUS first reported<\/u><\/span> that he partied in Colombia until the wee hours of the morning despite warnings from the U.S. Embassy in Colombia that there was a credible threat to his life.<\/p>\n

The first-term senator formed a legal defense fund<\/u><\/span> \u2014 which has the same address as the nonprofit Together America \u2014 after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) accused him<\/u><\/span> in social media posts of \u201cvery disturbing\u201d allegations<\/u><\/span>, though she did not provide details.<\/p>\n

Read more Supreme Court Blocks Trump\u2019s Attempt to Fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A person familiar with the matter told NOTUS that concerns about the nonprofit have been raised with Gallego.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campaigns"],"yoast_head":"\nRuben Gallego\u2019s Campaign Lawyer Created a Mystery Nonprofit - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=755\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ruben Gallego\u2019s Campaign Lawyer Created a Mystery Nonprofit - Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A person familiar with the matter told NOTUS that concerns about the nonprofit have been raised with Gallego.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=755\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Home Journals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-29T17:13:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"headline\":\"Ruben Gallego\u2019s Campaign Lawyer Created a Mystery Nonprofit\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-29T17:13:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755\"},\"wordCount\":945,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/35b858105e3b94bbe428112c23676a9a-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Campaigns\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755\",\"name\":\"Ruben Gallego\u2019s Campaign Lawyer Created a Mystery Nonprofit - Modern Home Journals\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/35b858105e3b94bbe428112c23676a9a-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-29T17:13:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/533de239efc09a2ab59959cc1bff86d0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/?p=755#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/35b858105e3b94bbe428112c23676a9a-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/modernhomejournals.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/35b858105e3b94bbe428112c23676a9a-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Sen. 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