Preliminary results Tuesday night show Democrat Adelita Grijalva will win the special election for Congressional District 7 and will be the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress.
Grijalva showed a strong lead as of late Tuesday night, with about 70% of the vote over Republican business owner Daniel Butierez, with voter turnout around 20%.
Congressional District 7 Results
The daughter of the late congressman and longtime progressive Raúl Grijalva entered the race shortly after his death from lung cancer in March. Grijlava told a crowd of supporters through tears Tuesday night that she intends to honor his over two decades in Congress.
“A last name alone doesn't earn you the trust from the community, service does. And my dad's legacy is one of service to Southern Arizona,” she said. “He literally fought until his last breath for this community. He served more than 50 years, and he was the most progressive member of Congress. Full stop.”
Her win also narrows the Republican majority in the House of Representatives as a government shutdown looms. Grijalva blamed Republicans for walking away from negotiations.
“None of our federal workers deserve to not have a paycheck because adults in a room can’t figure out a compromise,” she said.
Butierez, a small business owner, said he succeeded in building a campaign of unity.
“You have far right, you have far left, but there's a whole bunch of us in the middle that just care about God, family, country,” he said.
According to Butierez, his party was neglecting a key Hispanic area in Tucson before his campaign.
“I have gotten the Republicans to reach out to the south side, which has never been done before. So I can say, no matter what happens, I did accomplish something for my community,” he said.
He faced the late Grijalva in the 2024 general election, and has kept the homeless crisis the center of his campaign.
Butierez himself experienced homelessness after being released from prison for a crime he was later exonerated for, which pharmaceutical worker Amber Johnson said influenced her support.
“He'll go out to the streets, he'll talk to people, he'll ask them what they need and that's not something that I have seen coming from whether it's the Democrats or any other political party,” she said.
Butierez said he worries for the future of that problem with Grijalva taking the seat.
“I'm tired of it, and it's just getting worse and worse,” he said. “We need to deal with the treatment first, not housing first.
Tredevon Rhodes, a Young Democrat at the University of Arizona said Grijalva’s campaign focus on issues like the cost of living resonated with young voters.
“I for one am trying to move out of my mom’s house, Adelita has spoken on building pathways for first time homebuyers for home ownership. That’s really important to me and I know that’s something that is really appreciated by our student body,” he said.
The district covers most of Tucson, parts of Phoenix, Yuma, and nearly all of the Arizona-Mexico border. Grijalva will serve the remainder of her father’s term, through December 2026.
