Latest news with #AdelitaGrijalva
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Meet the Arizona mom running for her father's seat in Congress after he died in office
The daughter of a long-serving Arizona Democrat who passed while in office told the Daily Mail exactly why she is running for her late father's seat: to advance his legacy and create her own. Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of Raúl Grijalva, a 22-year veteran of the House of Representatives who passed in March due to lung cancer while serving his 11th consecutive term, announced within weeks of the tragedy she will run for the recently vacated seat. Former Rep. Grijalva was diagnosed with cancer in April 2024, and despite his illness, he ran and won reelection in November. 'My Dad will never be replaced,' the younger Grijalva told the Daily Mail in a phone interview Thursday. 'He really was a champion for so many issues having to do with people that are marginalized and unheard so and feel like they don't have a voice.' One of the most consistently liberal members of the House, Grijalva had served as the chairman of the House Progressive Caucus and the House Natural Resources Committee. Representing a huge swatch of the U.S.-Mexico border, he advocated for migrants and loudly railed against Trump's immigration agenda; his daughter told the Daily Mail she will do much of the same. 'We'll continue that movement of standing up for those who don't feel like anyone else is standing up for them,' she said, adding she had nothing positive to say about the Trump administration's immigration agenda. Her father, Grijalva told the Daily Mail, was in public office for 50 years, and she is the first to admit she is 'literally' following in his 'exact' footsteps. The candidate for Arizona's 7th Congressional district, an area around Tucson, the state's second biggest city, has already held two jobs that were formerly occupied by her father. Like her dad, Grijalva served on the Tucson Unified School District and recently resigned her seat on the Pima County Board of Supervisors to run for his now-vacant congressional seat. If she wins the special election to fill her father's position in the House of Representatives, that would mark the third job she has taken that her Dad held at one point or another. The mother-of-three is seen as a frontrunner in the race to take her late father's now-vacant House seat. After witnessing her father lead her community for decades until his death while still serving in office, Grijalva told the Daily Mail that she is against term limits. 'It's not about age,' she said, adding 'I think that the people are the ones that should make that decision, not an arbitrary number about age.' The candidate also said that before her father's death, he was still active and able to meet constituents' needs. However, the late congressman missed nearly all of the House votes in 2025 before his death, amounting to about 96 percent of all votes, per the Clerk of the House of Representative's office. From 2023 to the beginning of 2025, late lawmaker missed roughly 40 percent of all votes, according to Govtrack. If elected, the Democrat vowed to pick up her father's mantle and stand up to President Donald Trump's agenda. 'The biggest issue right now is protecting our democracy and making sure that we keep to the established processes,' she said. 'Right now, Trump is just deciding wholesale to sign an executive order and waving away the rights of so many communities.' She also swore to be 'an unapologetic progressive voice in Congress,' saying she will fight to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from Republican reforms. Similar to the case of the Grijalva's, it is not entirely uncommon in Congress for members to run for seats held previously by a relative. Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, for example, filled a seat previously held by his older brother for over a decade. The late Rep, Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., who died while serving in office last year, similarly was elected to the seat held by his father. There have also been husband and wife combos like the late Rep. John Dingell Jr., D-Mich., and his spouse Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. After serving in office for a staggering 60 years from 1955 - 2015, the record for longest-serving member of Congress in history, John's wife Debbie took the reins and still serves the Michigan area represented by her late husband. The younger Grijalva says she would bring a new perspective to Congress. 'Two percent of women in Congress identify as Latina, and less are Mexican-American,' she told the Daily Mail. 'Of the women in Congress, seven percent have minor children, so I would be representing a huge contingency of our nation.' And like any proud mother, she touted to the Daily Mail how her daughter just recently graduated high school and will soon be attending college at the University of Arizona. The special election for Arizona 's 7th Congressional district will take place on September 23, 2025.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans advocacy group endorses Grijalva as progressive frontrunner in special election
Adelita Grijalva on on Sept. 19, 2023. Photo by Michael MicKisson | Arizona Luminaria Adelita Grijalva has won the endorsement of the country's first organization dedicated to championing pro-trans candidates in her bid to win a special congressional election in southern Arizona, strengthening her ties to trans rights advocacy amid worsening hostility from the federal government — even as some in the Democratic Party move to the right on the issue. Grijalva is campaigning for a chance to represent Arizona's 7th congressional district, a seat held for over two decades by her father, progressive giant Raúl Grijalva, until his death last month at 77 following a long battle with lung cancer. The younger Grijalva, a veteran of Tucson-area politics who currently sits on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, faces a crowded field in July's Democratic primary. But she has quickly emerged as the frontrunner, gathering the required number of signatures to qualify for the ballot within hours of her announcement to run and nabbing endorsements from prominent political figures, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. The Christopher Street Project, a national trans electoral advocacy organization established to counter the GOP's anti-trans focus, announced Wednesday it was backing Grijalva. The group's support cements her progressive bonafides and signals to voters that she hasn't joined the faction of the Democratic Party that is willing to compromise trans rights for electoral appeal. During last year's election, as Republicans and President Donald Trump poured millions into campaign ads attacking trans people, Democratic congressional candidates in red states and battleground states adopted anti-trans talking points of their own. And in January, two Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives sided with Republicans to vote for legislation that would have prohibited trans girls in public schools from joining sports teams that best align with their gender identity. In a written statement, Grijalva celebrated the endorsement from the Christopher Street Project and called the anti-trans attacks from Republicans 'hateful, dangerous and shameful.' She vowed to push back on legislation targeting trans people and to keep fellow party members on track. 'In Congress, I'll fight alongside (the Christopher Street Project) to defend our trans communities, hold Democrats accountable to their promises, and push back against every effort to strip away our rights,' Grijalva said. 'Our message is clear: trans people belong, and we won't back down.' Tyler Hack, the 19-year-old founder of the Christopher Street Project, which is named after the New York City street where the Stonewall Inn is located, said that Grijalva was the perfect choice for the organization's first ever political endorsement, given her history of consistent allyship. She has spent two decades on the Tucson Unified School District's governing board and has spent four years on the board of supervisors, where she was often involved with local LGBTQ and Pride month events. 'Adelita Grijalva is a proven champion for trans rights, and in the midst of this unprecedented, state-sponsored attack on trans people, we need her voice in Congress,' Hack said in a written statement. Trump has issued multiple executive orders intended to make it impossible for trans people to live as themselves, including by erasing the federal recognition of trans people's existence, prohibiting pronoun use in federal agencies, threatening to cut federal funding from health care organizations that offer gender affirming care, laying the groundwork to ban trans people from the military and reinterpreting federal protections in a way that excludes gender identity so as to bar trans girls from joining school sports teams that best reflect who they are. The Republican-controlled Congress is in lockstep with Trump's anti-trans vision, proposing bills that discriminate against trans people in athletics, public facilities, housing, school and government identification documents. Hack said the only way to ensure a bulwark against that tide of attacks is by electing Democrats that are serious about protecting trans people. 'The Democratic Party needs to hold up its responsibility to all marginalized peoples, and that includes trans people,' they said. 'Democratic voters aren't happy with the abdication to Trump and to MAGA Republicans. We need fighters who will step up and support trans people in every way that they can.' Along with pushing back on the anti-trans agenda at the federal level, Hack said a pro-trans candidate is needed to help ensure local resources for trans people, which are increasingly under attack from the Trump administration, remain available. That's because the threats from Trump and Republicans in Congress have resulted in state-based organizations complying in advance with discriminatory directives to avoid future consequences — even at the expense of trans people. Shortly after the Arizona branch of Planned Parenthood received a letter from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services instructing it not to use Medicaid funding to pay for gender-affirming care, the organization voluntarily froze its trans health care services out of an 'abundance of caution.' Following public backlash, those services were restored. That, Hack said, is a clear example of a time when a trans-friendly advocate, like Grijalva, can be critical for trans Arizonans. 'Having someone who we can call and who can actually push an organization or a group to stand up for trans people and to not abdicate to Trump's attacks is crucial,' they said. The Christopher Street Project's vote of confidence is also a boost for Grijalva's status as an advocate for LGBTQ rights, helping level the playing field against her most high-profile opponent, former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez. He was one of Arizona's few openly gay state lawmakers, was a founding member of the legislature's LGBTQ Caucus and spent years supporting working to enshrine LGBTQ rights into state statute and speaking out against discriminatory legislation. Hack said the organization is working to mobilize volunteers in Arizona on behalf of Grijalva's bid and pointed out that the election for the congressional district's seat will be one of the first to take place since Trump took office in January. That, they said, gives the organization and trans advocates across the state an opportunity to flex their political muscles. 'This is the first special election in a safe blue or competitive district since Trump took office this year,' Hack said. 'There hasn't been an opportunity to demonstrate trans political power yet, and we're so excited to bring that to Arizona (CD) 7.' The district, which spans much of southern Arizona, leans Democratic, with the percentage of votes cast for Democratic candidates more than doubling those cast for Republicans. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
The Independent
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Longtime Democratic congressman dies aged 77
Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva — considered a champion of environmental protections and progressive ideals who took on principled but often futile causes during a two-decade career in Congress — has died aged 77. His office said he died of complications from cancer treatment, which had sidelined him from Congress in recent months. 'From permanently protecting the Grand Canyon for future generations to strengthening the Affordable Care Act, his proudest moments in Congress have always been guided by community voices,' his office said. Grijalva had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee during his 12 terms representing southern Arizona, a powerful perch he used to shape the nation's environmental policies. He was known for reliably going to bat for immigrants and Native American tribes, and for the bolo tie he wore at home in Tucson and in the Capitol in Washington. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that Congress and the country had 'lost a giant' with Grijalva's death. 'Congressman Grijalva represented his community fiercely, keeping his constituents and the climate at the center of everything he did,' Jeffries added. Dedicated to environmental causes Grijalva, the son of a Mexican immigrant, was first elected to the House in 2002. Known as a liberal leader, he led the Congressional Progressive Caucus for a decade and dedicated much of his career to working on environmental causes. He stepped down as the top Democrat on the Natural Resources committee earlier this year, after announcing that he planned to retire rather than run for reelection in 2026. Grijalva announced nearly a year ago that he had been diagnosed with cancer but would be able to continue his work. Despite missing hundreds of House votes, he sought reelection in 2024 and won easily in one of the most solidly Democratic districts in Arizona. The seat, which represents a district spanning southern Arizona from Tucson to the border with Mexico, will remain vacant until a replacement is selected in a special election later this year. The Democratic primary in the mostly Hispanic district is likely to be a fierce battle between allies of Grijalva, a longtime southern Arizona power broker who led an influential bloc of progressive elected officials, and a more moderate faction. Possible contenders include his daughter, Adelita Grijalva, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, and Tucson Major Regina Romero, one of Grijalva's longtime allies. Adelita Grijalva remembered her father Thursday as 'the smartest person I'll ever know — a fighter until the end.' 'He loved his family, especially those grandbabies, and this community,' she said on social media. 'He as not a perfect person, but had perfect intentions and wanted to do good. It's been my honor to be Raúl Grijalva's daughter — a badge I wear with immense pride.' Viewed as a role model Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who served in the House until last year, said in a statement that 'Congressman Grijalva was not just my colleague, but my friend.' 'As another Latino working in public service, I can say from experience that he served as a role model to many young people across the Grand Canyon State. He spent his life as a voice for equality,' Gallego added. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, praised Grijalva as 'one of the most progressive members' in the House. 'Raúl was a fighter for working families throughout his entire life. He will be sorely missed,' Sanders said in a statement. Grijalva started out as a community organizer in Tucson and served on the local school board for years before being elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. He resigned from that post in 2002 to seek office in what was then Arizona's newly created 7th Congressional District. Grijalva prided himself on representing what he considered the underdogs, those without a voice. Grijalva's 'kind and humble nature was known to many. He was approachable by all because he believed people should be treated as equals. He loved to give gifts, blare music in his office, and get to know people for who they are,' his office said in a statement. He worked on issues that ranged from securing water supplies for drought-stricken parts of Arizona and the West to securing funding for the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, which safeguards natural areas and provides recreation opportunities to the public. He also played a key role in writing the National Landscape Conservation System Act and the Federal Lands Restoration Act, which were passed and signed by President Barack Obama. In recent years, he also led advocacy in Congress for the creation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon. It was part of an effort to protect the area from uranium mining and to acknowledge repeated calls by Native American tribes that sought to protect more of their ancestral homelands. He also opposed plans to develop a major copper mine about 70 miles (112 kilometers) east of Phoenix. Rep. David Schweikert, a Republican and fellow Arizonan, said on the social platform X that Grijalva 'was always very kind to me — he had a great sense of humor. As a fellow animal lover, we often found ourselves working together on animal protection issues.' Rep. Jesús G. 'Chuy' Garcia of Illinois said Grijalva loved a line from the Spanish song 'El Rey,' which translates to: 'it's not only about getting there first but about how you get there.' 'I think this phrase perfectly describes his tenacity in everything he did,' Garcia said.
