Voters in southern Arizona have chosen to send Democrat Adelita Grijalva to Congress, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
Grijalva handily won the special election held in Congressional District 7, a deep blue enclave in traditionally red Arizona that for more than two decades was represented by her father, the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March.
As of 9:22 p.m. Tuesday, Adelita Grijalva was leading her opponent, Republican Daniel Butierez, with 71% of the vote.
Grijalva will now serve out the remainder of her father’s 12th term in office. She’ll also become the first Latina elected to Congress from Arizona.
At an Election Night party in Tucson, Adelita Grijalva pledged to continue her father’s progressive legacy, and said her movement comes from the people.
“This victory is ours, ours, and together, we broke the glass ceiling. First Latina congresswoman from Arizona. It's hard to describe how I feel in this moment, but I see it in the eyes of my family and all of you, and I promise I might be the first, but I will not be the last,” Grijalva said.
Succeeding her father was all but assured after Grijalva overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination in July.
Once in office, Grijalva could immediately contribute to Democrats’ efforts to be a thorn in the side of the Trump administration. She’ll make the already narrow Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives even more tenuous.
And in what could be one of her first acts in Congress, Grijalva has pledged to support a bipartisan effort to force the release of investigative files related to the federal investigation of convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
A discharge petition that would sidestep House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a floor vote requiring the U.S. Justice Department to release those files is one signature shy of the 218 needed before it can be officially submitted.
“The voters of southern Arizona just sent the rest of the country a loud message, we reject the MAGA agenda, and we will hold this administration accountable. That is why, on my very first day in office, I will be the decisive 218 signature on the discharge petition to force a vote on the release of the Epstein files,” Grijalva said in her acceptance speech.
Grijalva also weighed in on a looming federal government shutdown as lawmakers and President Donald Trump are in a standoff over the federal budget.
“The Democrats are not the ones walking away from the table. The Republicans are. I don't think that it helps anyone. None of our federal workers deserve to not have a paycheck because adults in the room can't figure out a compromise,” Grijalva said.
She said she hopes the House reconvenes this month rather than early October.
KJZZ's Alisa Reznick contributed to this story.
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