Arizona Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego accessed a special military veterans' mortgage rate for the home he purchased in Washington, D.C., last year by claiming the property as his primary residence.
The Democrat congressman and his wife own a home in Phoenix, however, which they also say is their primary home.
While his campaign maintains that he lives in Arizona, Gallego listed Washington as his primary residence on loan documents, obtained by Politico, for the D.C. property.
As Gallego gears up to try to unseat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., in a closely watched Senate race next year, he might have to explain to Arizonans why he declared himself a primary resident of Washington.
The loan document shows that Gallego agreed to "occupy, establish, and use the Property as [his] principal residence within 60 days," according to the Veterans Affairs-backed loan terms.
Gallego qualified for the VA loan because of his Marine service from 2000 to 2006.
Designed to provide veterans with lower interest rates on properties used as primary residences, the VA loan program also allows veterans to put little to no money down and waive mortgage insurance fees.
According to the terms, Gallego secured a $940,000 VA-guaranteed home loan in a mortgage environment where interest rates have soared.
Eleven months before the purchase of their home in Washington, Gallego and his wife Sydney Barron Gallego refinanced their home in Phoenix and signed a deed of trust in which they agreed to make that property their primary residence for one year, according to the Arizona loan document.
Gallego's 2022 Maricopa County property tax statement shows that he currently takes advantage of a homeowner rebate that reduces tax burdens for residents who live primarily in the state.
The campaign told Politico that Gallego does not receive a homestead tax credit on his Washington property and he has not been accused of wrongdoing in completing the loan documents.
"Ruben's primary residence is in Arizona," Hannah Goss, a spokesperson for Gallego, said in a statement. "The VA loan is a benefit that Ruben earned by serving his country as a Marine combat veteran, and he's well within his right to use it as a residence when he's doing his job in D.C.
"It comes with being both a veteran and a congressman who needs to live and work in two places. Ruben expected to face a lot of political attacks in the race, but taking a loan he earned by serving in Iraq isn't one of them."
Gallego's campaign said the lender approved the VA loan knowing he was a congressman and how he would use the home.
Terrence Hayes, a VA spokesperson, told Politico he could not comment on individual cases but said that occupancy requirements "are applied equally to all veterans and service members, and there is no exception to the policy based on a veteran's occupation."
Gregg Busch, the loan officer at First Savings Mortgage who worked with Gallego on the loan, told Politico that he knew about the congressman's residency issue and that VA guidelines allow for loans such as this one.
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