Democrat Adelita Grijalva wins special election for southern Arizona congressional seat

Source: AP

Updated 12:53 AM EDT, September 24, 2025


PHOENIX (AP) — Southern Arizona voters on Tuesday chose Adelita Grijalva to succeed her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a progressive Democrat who represented the state for more than two decades in Congress.

She defeated Republican candidate Daniel Butierez in the 7th Congressional District, which hugs almost the entire length of Arizona’s border with Mexico. The decisive win — early returns showed Grijalva with more than double the number of votes as her Republican opponent — will make Grijalva the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress.

The seat was one of two remaining vacancies in blue districts that Democrats needed to hold to avoid losing more ground to Republicans in the U.S. House. Grijalva thanked voters late Tuesday on social media, saying they made history together. “Now, let’s get to work.”

Grijalva retired from the Pima County Board of Supervisors and launched her bid for Congress shortly after her father’s death in March. She said Tuesday he was the inspiration for her time in public service and a unifying figure among environmentalists, reproductive and immigrant rights advocates, and LGBTQ+ organizers who were seeking justice and equality.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/arizona-congress-grijalva-butierez-1d9fe8fd6f0604f8064f67f6d8cfdca7