PHOENIX (AP) — Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic primary Tuesday for a southern Arizona U.S. House seat long held by her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, one of the most senior and progressive power brokers on Capitol Hill.
Adelita Grijalva will face Daniel Butierez, a painting company owner who won the GOP primary, in a Sept. 23 special election for the seat in the heavily Democratic 7th Congressional District.
Raúl Grijalva's death in March left the seat wide open for the first time in over two decades. Grijalva was a champion of environmental protections and reliably went to bat for immigrants and Native American tribes. He routinely breezed past GOP challengers in the deep-blue district, which stretches across most of the state’s border with Mexico and includes parts of Tucson and nearby counties.
Adelita Grijalva was among a batch of Democratic hopefuls seeking the nomination in the primary in the 7th District. Grijalva, a progressive, has said upholding democracy, standing up for immigrant rights and protecting access to Medicaid and Medicare are among her top priorities.
“This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago,” Grijalva said in a statement.
She was up against former state lawmaker Daniel Hernandez; digital strategist and reproductive rights advocate Deja Foxx; Indigenous activist and scholar Jose Malvido Jr.; and retired health care executive Patrick Harris Sr.
Grijalva won easily. She led her next closest rival, Foxx, by about 40 percentage points when The Associated Press declared her the winner. She had a large lead in all seven counties that are all or partially in the district, including the most populous, Pima County, which includes Tucson and its western suburbs.
She racked up a lengthy list of heavyweight endorsements — including Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and several state and local officials.
Butierez ran among a trio of GOP hopefuls seeking the nomination in the primary for the 7th District. Last year, he captured more than one-third of the vote in the 2024 election against Raúl Grijalva.
Off-road vehicle businessman Jimmy Rodriguez and restaurant owner Jorge Rivas also vied for the GOP bid.
The results of Tuesday's primary will remain unofficial until they are certified on July 31 by the Arizona Secretary of State's office.
The seat will not decide control of the U.S. House, but it is one of three vacancies in heavily Democratic districts that, when filled in special elections this fall, will likely chip away at Republicans’ slender 220-212 majority in the chamber.
Democrats have a nearly 2-1 ratio registration advantage over Republicans in the 7th District.
