Former state lawmaker Daniel Hernandez officially launched his campaign to replace longtime Congressman Raúl Grijalva, who passed away earlier this month.
Hernandez is the first well-known Democrat to officially enter the race in Congressional District 7, a blue district in southern Arizona.
In his first campaign ad, Hernandez says he will fight to preserve Medicaid, social security and voting rights.
“That’s exactly how my parents raised me. You work hard and take care of those around you. But like so many here in Arizona, I faced my share of hardships,” Hernandez said in the ad. “Growing up, my family struggled to make ends meet. We depended on Medicaid, and when I lost health insurance as a teenager, it nearly killed me.”
The ad also references the shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in Tucson in 2011. Hernandez, then a Giffords intern, rendered aid to the critically injured congresswoman and was credited with helping to save her life.
“We are grateful for Daniel Hernandez, a volunteer in Gabby’s office,” former President Barack Obama said in 2011 in a clip included in the Hernandez campaign ad. “And Daniel, I’m sorry, you may deny it, but we’ve decided you're a hero.”
Hernandez later served three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives. His sisters, Alma and Consuelo Hernandez, both currently serve at the Arizona Legislature.
Hernandez ran an unsuccessful campaign in neighboring Congressional District 6 in 2022, losing in the Democratic primary to Kirsten Engel.
