Sen. Ruben Gallego rolls out an economic agenda as he weighs a 2028 White House bid

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, who says he is seriously considering a 2028 presidential run, unveiled a national economic plan on Wednesday aimed at workers worried about artificial intelligence and automation. Its centerpieces are a $20 hourly minimum wage and a public service jobs program modeled on the New Deal, paid for by taxes on data centers and an excise tax on revenue at large AI companies, according to NBC News.

The 32-page proposal, titled "Saving the Middle Class and Restoring the American Dream," has five pillars covering wages and benefits, blue-collar jobs, trust in government in the age of AI, entrepreneurship beyond major cities, and faster job placement. The publicly funded jobs would involve coaching youth sports, addiction counseling, neighborhood beautification and caring for children, older adults, or sick or disabled people. Gallego would also set a 2035 goal of tripling union membership rates, encourage industry-wide bargaining standards and make overtime pay double the regular rate.

Gallego, 46, told NBC News he is weighing how a campaign would fit with raising three young children. He said Republicans have done more harm to the working class but that Democrats share blame, including for trade deals like NAFTA that failed to spread wealth to workers.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →