
Adelita Grijalva wins Arizona Democratic primary in a bid to succeed her late father in Congress; her family and educational details
, daughter of the late US Rep.
Raúl Grijalva
, has won the Democratic primary in Arizona's 7th Congressional District, securing a decisive victory Tuesday night(July 15) and positioning herself to succeed her father in Congress.
The Associated Press called the race with Grijalva winning 62 percent of the vote, defeating a crowded field that included a high-profile Gen Z and progressive activist,
Deja Foxx
, and former state lawmaker Daniel Hernández Jr.
The deep-blue district, which spans parts of Tucson and southern Arizona, is considered a safe seat for Democrats in the September 23
special general election
to fill the vacant seat following the death of longtime Representative Raúl Grijalva in March 2025.
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The win marks a powerful continuation of the Grijalva political legacy. Her father, Raúl Grijalva, passed away at age 77 from complications related to cancer treatment. A progressive stalwart and former co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, he represented the district for more than two decades and was a leading voice on progressive issues, including environmental justice and Indigenous rights.
Who is Adelita Grijalva?
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Adelita Grijalva, 54, brings more than two decades of experience in public service to the race. She served for 20 years on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, where she was a staunch advocate for bilingual education and ethnic studies, and later as a Pima County Supervisor, where she championed
affordable housing
, climate resiliency, and early childhood education.
She is the eldest of Raúl Grijalva's three daughters, and a graduate of Pueblo High School and the
University of Arizona
, where she earned a degree in political science.
She became the first
Latina
to chair the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 2023. She resigned from that role earlier this year, in compliance with Arizona's resign-to-run law, to launch her congressional campaign.
Grijalva lives in Tucson with her husband, Sol Antonio Gómez, a librarian, and their three children, Adelina, Raúl, and Joaquín.
Grijalva's campaign received swift backing from progressive heavyweights, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. In a statement posted on Instagram after her victory, Grijalva said, 'This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago.'
Deja Foxx in opposition
Foxx, a Gen Z activist with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, entered the race calling for generational change. She previously served as one of the youngest staffers on
Kamala Harris
's 2020 presidential campaign and gained national attention as a reproductive rights advocate.
Her campaign earned the backing of progressive groups like Leaders We Deserve, founded by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, who has led efforts to challenge Democratic establishment candidates nationwide.
Despite a surge in grassroots enthusiasm and digital momentum, Foxx struggled to overcome Grijalva's deep name recognition and local political roots.
In a statement Tuesday night, Grijalva said her victory 'honors the legacy of my father and recommits to the communities we've both served.' If elected in September, she will become Arizona's first Latina in Congress, a historic milestone in a district that is over 60 percent Latino.
Grijalva now faces Republican nominee Daniel Butierez in what analysts call a 'solid Democratic' race.
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