Adelita Grijalva Wins Democratic Primary to Succeed Her Late Father in U.S. House
The special election was called following the death of U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva (D).
The Democratic and Republican primaries occurred today in Arizona to select candidates for a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives. Five Democrats and three Republicans appeared on the ballot. A candidate only needs a plurality of the vote to receive their party’s nomination.
The special election for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District was called following the death of U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat, from lung cancer. He served this district from January 2003 to March 2025. He was re-elected with a 63.4-36.6 victory against Republican Daniel Butierez in November 2024.
A majority-Hispanic seat, Arizona’s 7th Congressional District stretches across the U.S.-Mexico border. Largely based in Tucson, the district covers all of Santa Cruz County as well as parts of Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, and Yuma Counties.
Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic primary with 61.4% (38,036) against Deja Foxx with 22.4% (13,868), Daniel Hernández Jr. with 13.6% (8,437), Patrick Harris with 1.5% (918), and Jose Maldivo Jr. with 1.1% (683). 61,942 votes counted.
The daughter of the late Congressman, Grijalva represented District 5 on the Pima County Board of Supervisors from January 2021 to April 2025. She previously served on the Tucson Unified School District Board from 2003 to 2022.
Daniel Butierez won the Republican primary with 60.8% (10,907) against Jorge Rivas with 25.2% (4,524) and Jimmy Rodriguez with 14.0% (2,509). 17,940 votes counted.
Butierez was wrongfully convicted and spent 10 years in jail. After clearing his name, he started a business providing second chances to people battling addictions or freshly released from prison. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the 7th District in 2024.
The U.S. House of Representatives currently features 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats. The chamber currently has four vacancies - three in previously Democratic-held seats and one former Republican seat. The special election between Grijalva and Butierez will occur on September 23, 2025.