Adelita Grijalva wins Democratic primary for Arizona US House seat held by her late father
Source: AP
Updated 4:46 AM EDT, July 16, 2025
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, spanning six counties and parts of Tucson.
Adelita Grijalva dominated the field of Democratic hopefuls seeking the nomination. She said lowering the cost of living, standing up for immigrant rights, and protecting access to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security are among her top priorities. Grijalva also racked up a lengthy list of heavyweight endorsements — including Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and several state and local officials.
“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.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/arizona-special-election-raul-grijalva-primary-be3f09d34f570b1a270a21c29a0d4e3f