Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, said Monday that she will run for the Tucson-area seat vacated by her father’s death earlier this month.
A Pima County supervisor, Grijalva cited standing up to President Donald Trump as a prime reason for her entering the special election for Arizona’s 7th District.
“Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their gang of billionaires are destroying our nation,’’ she said in a statement. “They’re destroying our schools. They’re attacking our most sacred rights. They’re poisoning our environment. But together, we will stop them. This fight starts right here, right now, in southern Arizona.”
Grijalva joins a crowded July 15 Democratic primary for the safely blue seat that already includes former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr. The general election is scheduled for Sept. 23.
If she wins, Grijalva would be the first Latina elected to Congress from Arizona.
Two high-profile potential candidates have already taken their names out of the running for the special election: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who is chairing Grijalva’s campaign, according to the candidate’s Monday announcement.
Arizona’s 7th District is one of two House vacancies on the Democratic side of the aisle, the other being a Houston-area seat vacated by the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in the chamber but are expected to pad that advantage after a pair of special elections Tuesday in Florida.
Raúl M. Grijalva, a first-generation Mexican American and longtime progressive leader, served for more than 22 years in Congress, representing a liberal slice of Arizona centered on Tucson that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border. Known for his efforts to fight climate change, conserve natural areas, protect biodiversity and safeguard sacred sites and tribal lands, he died in March due to complications from treatment for lung cancer.
Before he won a 12th term in November, he had already decided against running for reelection in 2026.
Long seen as a potential successor to her father in Congress, Adelita Grijalva’s path in electoral politics mirrored his own. Like her father, she served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board before being elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors — a position she will resign effective April 4, her campaign announcement stated.
“I’ve spent my life as an advocate, fighting for the brighter future we all deserve,” Grijalva said in her statement. “In Congress, I will work to create opportunities to help all our families achieve their American Dream – no matter who you are, where you come from, or where you live.”
Open seats in safe districts generally draw significant interest, and more than a dozen Democrats have already filed statements of interest with the Arizona secretary of state’s office. But so far, Hernandez appears to be Grijalva’s main competition for the Democratic nomination.
The former state representative was a 20-year-old intern in Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords’ district office in January 2011 when a gunman opened fire at a constituent event, killing six and injuring 13. He was credited with helping to save Giffords’ life after she was critically wounded.
Hernandez ran for the neighboring 6th District in 2022, losing in the Democratic primary in the election eventually won by Republican Juan Ciscomani. Both of Hernandez’s sisters are members of the Arizona House, where he served for six years. He was one of four openly gay state lawmakers who founded the Arizona Legislature’s first LGBTQ caucus in 2017.
In his campaign launch video last week, Hernandez cited his state legislative experience, saying he would “stand up and do whatever it takes for working families, for veterans and for seniors.”
David Jordan contributed to this report.
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