Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has scheduled an election to fill the U.S. House seat in Congressional District 7 that had been held by longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
The southern Arizona Democrat, who was first elected to Congress in 2002, died Thursday at age 77 of complications from lung cancer treatment.
According to the proclamation issued by Hobbs, a primary will take place on July 15, with a general election to follow on Sept. 23.
Federal law leaves it to states to determine procedures for filling U.S. House vacancies. Arizona law states “if the next regular general election is not to be held within six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy, the governor shall call a special primary election to be held 120 to 133 days after the vacancy and a special general election to be held 70 to 80 days after the special primary election.”
Grijalva’s most recent term began in January, and he had announced it would be his last. The next general election for the seat was not scheduled until 2026.
