Arizona's Senate race took a turn this week when divorce records for former Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego were revealed to the public. 

As the Washington Examiner noted, the records were released in response to a lawsuit that was filed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Candidate said records should remain secret to protect son

Gallego, who is fighting with Republican candidate Kari Lake over the seat currently held by outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, argued against releasing the records in order to protect his son. 

I asked Rep. Gallego why he & his ex-wife, Mayor Kate Gallego, are fighting to keep their divorce records sealed (Oct 6):

“We are doing this because we are trying to protect our son.. We know that if she [Lake] gets any information about our son, she will release it.” @NBCNews https://t.co/9a4vgtXKQ5 pic.twitter.com/5OnMkgGybe

— Julie Tsirkin (@JulieNBCNews) October 17, 2024

"We have a son who did not choose to run for office, but we need to protect him and his privacy, and that’s all we’ve been asking this whole time," Gallego said as he was being interviewed alongside his ex-wife, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

"Kari Lake and her allies know that because the judge told them there’s nothing there, and yet they continue to attack, and of course we’re worried," the candidate added.

Newspaper editor welcomes Supreme Court decision

Gallego's records were made public on Thursday after the Arizona Supreme Court refused Gallego's request that it stay a lower court ruling.

That move was celebrated in a social media post by Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson, who wrote, "The Free Beacon has prevailed in its lawsuit against Ruben Gallego in which we’ve sought to unseal his divorce records."

"The Arizona Supreme Court had the final word tonight and denied Gallego's motion for a stay," Johnson continued, adding, "Thank you to our lawyers Michael Edney and Cory Stuart for their tireless work on this."

The Examiner noted how although Lake was not involved in the Free Beacon's lawsuit, she previously suggested that there could be "something really, really bad in those records that we think should be revealed."

Some information was redacted

Meanwhile, Just the News reported on Thursday that the divorce records show Mr. Gallego and his ex-wife mediated an agreement for joint custody.

However, the website pointed out that the specific reasons for this remain unclear as much of the document was redacted for privacy reasons.

"The judge who actually is overseeing this has said this is one of the most boring, boring divorce procedures," Just the News quoted Gallego as telling KTAR-FM.

"The reason Kate and I have tried to keep as much confidential is not for us; it’s for our son, Michael," he went on to declare.