Democrat Adelita Grijalva handily won the race for southern Arizona’s 7th Congressional District this week. The seat has been vacant since her father, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, died earlier this year.
The race was called in Grijalva’s favor shortly after 8pm. Speaking to a crowd of more than 100 people at the El Casino Ballroom in southside Tucson, she said her dad’s legacy was one of public service.
“He literally … he literally fought until his last breath for this community,” Grijalva told the crowd. “And he was the most progressive member of Congress, full stop.”
Grijalva said she planned to continue that legacy — which spans the Tohono O’odham Nation, parts of Tucson, and border towns like Nogales and San Luis.
State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, a Democrat who represents District 18 in Tucson, said she hoped Grijalva would help advocate against the Trump administration’s deportation campaign and ongoing ICE enforcement.
“It’s going to be important to see a strong champion coming from southern Arizona who can speak to those border issues,” she said.
Sundareshan, who is a lead negotiator in ongoing Colorado River talks among Lower Basin states, said she also wants to see Arizona’s delegation in D.C. advocate for Arizona's share of river water.
Other Arizonans said they wanted to see Grijalva tackle international issues — like Nasir Raza, who said he came down to Tucson from Scottsdale to campaign for her.
“The idea was that she has potential to be progressive and against the genocide in Gaza, and on pro-Palestine issues, just like her dad was,” he said.
During her victory speech Tuesday night, she said one of her first priorities in Congress would be to sign onto what’s called a discharge petition — part of a bipartisan effort that would force a vote to release the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
She also told reporters she hoped to join the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, and House Committee of Natural Resources, which was led for years by Raúl Grijalva.
Crystal Padilla, a union leader with Local 11 — one of more than a dozen unions that campaigned for Grijalva — said she wants to see Grijalva advocate for bills and policies that uplift Arizona communities.
“I guess I’m just seeing an attack on working class people right now, and so I just want to see Adelita be able to fight back for us,” Padilla said.
Grijalva will be sworn as early as this month, depending on whether budget negotiations trigger a government shutdown.
