Democratic Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona Dies Following Cancer Battle

Grijalva becomes the second House Democrat to pass away this month.

U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, a Democrat, died Thursday morning. He was 77. He passed away due to complications from cancer. He previously announced a diagnosis of lung cancer in April 2024.

Grijalva served Arizona’s 7th Congressional District since January 2003. Notably, he becomes the second House Democrat to die this month following the sudden death of Sylvester Turner (TX-18) last week. They are the only deaths to occur during the 119th Congress to date. However, Grijalva becomes the fifth House Democrat to die while still in office over the last year - joining Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10) in April 2024 of a heart attack, Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) in July 2024 from pancreatic cancer, and Bill Pascrell (NJ-09) in August 2024 of a respiratory illness.

The son of a Mexican migrant worker who entered the United States through the Bracero Program, Grijalva has held elected office since 1974. He served on the Tucson Unified School District Board from 1974 to 1986. In 1987, Grijalva Elementary School in Tucson was named after him. From 1975 to 1986, he was the Director of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center. In 1987, he became Assistant Dean for Hispanic Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. He then served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 2002.

Following the 2000 census, Arizona picked up two House districts in its congressional delegation. While the newly formed 7th District carried a lot of territory from the former 2nd District, the Democratic incumbent Ed Pastor opted to run for re-election in the 4th District instead in 2002. That created an open seat, 8-candidate Democratic primary where Grijalva prevailed 40.9-20.9-14.9 against State Senator Elaine Richardson and former State Senator Jaime Gutierrez. In the general election, Grijalva prevailed 59.0-37.1 against Republican Ross Hieb. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024.

After his cancer diagnosis, Grijalva announced 2024 would be his final re-election campaign. Voters once again supported him 63.5-36.5 against Republican Daniel Butierez. However, he has missed hundreds of House votes since beginning cancer treatment. Arizona law states Governor Katie Hobbs, a fellow Democrat, has 72 hours of the seat becoming vacant to declare a special election.

During the 119th Congress, Grijalva served on the House Committees on Education and Workforce; and Natural Resources. Notably, he was the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee from January 2015 to January 2025. That included a stint as Chair from January 2019 to January 2023. Moreover, he was Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus from January 2009 to January 2019.

Arizona’s 7th Congressional District stretches along the Mexico-United States border. It takes in parts of Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma Counties. It covers the western third of Tucson, parts of Yuma and Nogales, as well as Avondale and Tolleson in Metro Phoenix.

Under the current lines, Democrat Kamala Harris won Arizona’s 7th Congressional District with a 60.5-38.4 finish against Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. That was Harris’ second best result in one of the state’s congressional districts. Overall though, Trump carried the state 52.2-46.7 in his ultimately successful national campaign.

The district was even more favorable for Democrat Ruben Gallego in the open U.S. Senate election in 2024. He carried the 7th District 63-33 against Republican Kari Lake. He ultimately carried the seat for his party with a 50.1-47.7 finish statewide.

Despite Grijalva’s prior retirement announcement, no candidates have yet launched campaigns for the Democratic or Republican nominations. Action will pick up quickly with the forthcoming special election. Most of the attention will be directed to the Democratic primary due to the partisan makeup of the district. Possible candidates include Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, former State Representative Daniel Hernández Jr. and Pima County Supervisor - and Grijalva’s daughter - Adelita Grijalva.

With Grijalva’s death, the U.S. House of Representatives currently features 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. Four vacancies currently exist. Two Republican-held seats in Florida will be filled in special elections next month. Meanwhile, another vacancy will eventually be created when the U.S. Senate confirms U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican in New York, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.