Reagan Priest Arizona Capitol Times//May 24, 2025//
Reagan Priest Arizona Capitol Times//May 24, 2025//
Voters in Tucson, Yuma, Nogales and other parts of southern Arizona haven’t seen a competitive congressional race in decades.
That’s because Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva had been reelected to represent the area 11 times since 2003, and hadn’t seen a primary challenger since 2012. But Grijalva’s death in March triggered a special election, one that now has five Democrats running in the primary.
Three candidates have emerged as top contenders, giving voters a choice they haven’t had to make in over 20 years. Three Republican candidates are also running, but none are likely to win, given the Democrats’ considerable voter registration advantage in the 7th Congressional District.
Adelita Grijalva, the late-congressman’s daughter and longtime local official, is viewed by many as an obvious successor. But Daniel Hernandez, a former state lawmaker, and Deja Foxx, a political influencer and activist, have also stepped up to give Adelita a run for her money.
Each candidate has similar stances on issues like Medicaid and Social Security, and has emphasized resistance against President Donald Trump as a focal point of their campaign. What really sets them apart are their stories — and their answer to Democrats’ large setbacks in 2024.
With mail-in ballots going out on June 18 and the primary on July 15, candidates have a limited window to energize voters. Whoever succeeds is all but guaranteed to sail to victory in the general election in September.
The favorite
The energy was high at a canvass launch in Tucson on May 17. Music blasted from a speaker and an electric blue, vintage Impala was parked behind what used to be Raúl Grijalva’s campaign office.
Volunteers mingled with state lawmakers, mayors and other local leaders representing the area while Adelita Grijalva posed for photos in the car. She rallied the troops with a speech before sending canvassers off to court registered Democrats for the upcoming special election.
“I feel my dad with me every day,” Adelita told the crowd, choking up a little. “So whenever I feel (like) I’m not really sure I can do this, I’m like, where did that little energy come from? Thanks, Dad.”
Jackie Ortiz, a volunteer for the campaign, said the late congressman was also the first thought for voters when teams first began knocking on doors.
“Grijalva is a huge name in Tucson. So when people were walking to doors and saying, ‘Hey, Adelita Grijalva is running,’ the first reaction was always, ‘I love Raúl. This is great for Raúl,’” Ortiz said.
The team’s mission now is to remind voters that Adelita is her own person, with her own experience and policy goals that she plans to bring to Congress. She served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors before resigning to run for her father’s seat and was a school board member for 20 years.
“What we did as canvassers is we said, ‘We’re going to maintain and continue the progressive values that Raúl brought to Congress, but we’re also bringing Adelita and her experience as a school board member, a supervisor, as a mother, as a woman’” Ortiz said. “And that really caught on. So now when we go canvass, it’s all about Adelita.”
The Grijalva name comes with more than just familiarity and legacy. It also comes with endorsements from top Arizona leaders — like U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords — hundreds of donations, the late congressman’s campaign email list, and the full weight of the Democratic political establishment.
Those who came out to participate in the canvass cite Adelita’s progressive record, her decades of experience in local government and her connection to the community as their motivations for supporting her candidacy. Many voters even said they like the other candidates in the race, but still feel Adelita is the best person for the job.
For her part, Adelita said she wants southern Arizona to know they will still have a fighter representing them in Congress if she is elected.
“After 20 years on a school board and four years on the board of supervisors, I have some pretty thick skin,” she told volunteers on May 17. “I really do. So I promise you, we are going to continue to fight.”
The underdog
Daniel Hernandez said he knows he is the underdog in this race, but it is a familiar role for him.
“I’m a gay Latino who got elected at 26 to the Legislature,” Hernandez said. “Nothing’s ever been easy. I’ve always had to work really hard to earn everything that I’ve received. I’ve never been the establishment pick.”
Hernandez is best known for helping save Gabby Giffords’ life in 2011 after she was shot outside of a supermarket in Tucson, when he was her congressional intern. But he parlayed that media attention into a political career, starting on a school board much like Adelita.
Hernandez made waves in 2016 when he beat a Republican incumbent for a seat in the state House of Representatives. During his time in the Legislature, he worked across the aisle to advance Democratic policy ideas that were usually dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled body.
His campaign sees a path to victory similar to U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s win in the 2024 primary. Ansari is a slightly more moderate millennial who is newer to the Arizona political scene and faced off against Raquel Terán, a progressive Gen X’er who ran the state Democratic Party and has enjoyed a long career in local politics.
Despite receiving far fewer major endorsements and almost no support from Arizona Democrats, Ansari beat Terán in the primary for the Phoenix-area seat, surprising the political establishment.
Hernandez also has a moderate bent and is young, only 35, making him a spring chicken by congressional age standards. He and Ansari also share one critical and somewhat controversial viewpoint: their support for Israel.
While the Israel-Palestine conflict did not seem to be a driving factor in the 2024 elections, it is a concern for primary voters in deep blue Tucson, where many houses display Palestinian flags.
Hernandez’s sisters are Jewish, and the three are vocal supporters of Israel. But he says focusing on broad social and foreign policy issues is what got Democrats into this mess in 2024, which is why he is staying on message.
“We need to stop telling people what to care about and actually listen when the economy and Social Security are the biggest concerns for folks,” Hernandez said. “We need to talk about solutions and what we’re going to offer to those people, as opposed to talking about things that don’t impact people day-to-day.”
That message, combined with his legislative record and campaign’s ground game make Hernandez confident that victory is possible.
The dark horse
If Hernandez isn’t the “establishment pick,” Deja Foxx is the thorn in the establishment’s side. The 25-year-old activist turned Kamala Harris staffer turned political influencer is hoping to become the first Gen Z woman in Congress and isn’t playing by typical campaign rules.
Foxx has almost no endorsements but has a social media presence and reach that her opponents could only dream of. Her TikTok videos about her campaign regularly get hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of viewers.
Foxx uses social media and the blogging platform Substack to court potential voters and solicit donations. While she was canvassing on May 16 in Tucson, one voter who opened the door said she heard about Foxx on Instagram.
However, another voter told Foxx she has a bright future ahead of her, but she wouldn’t be voting for her in this election. Foxx said it’s a reaction she rarely receives from voters, but one she does get from politicos and party leaders.
“It’s a real representation problem, that one in five Americans are Gen Z, and yet we (have) one representative in Congress,” Foxx said.
She also pushes back on those who argue she doesn’t have enough experience, whether in life or politics, to be in Congress. Foxx sees her lack of time in public office as an asset, not a hurdle.
“Anybody who says I’m inexperienced isn’t paying attention,” Foxx said. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years. It’s a different kind of experience. I know power from the other side of the dais.”
Foxx got her start in politics at age 15, when a video of her going toe-to-toe with then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake over Planned Parenthood funding went viral. Since then, Foxx graduated from Columbia University, worked on Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, and built a platform as a political influencer.
Foxx said she knows her campaign is ruffling feathers, but she isn’t asking for permission or waiting her turn. She hopes to hold the Democratic Party accountable for its missteps and bring a young voice to Congress.
“When newer and younger comes around with 10 years of experience (running for) an open seat of a safer, bluer district, (electeds) put their thumb on the scale and make it even harder for somebody like me when we deserve a free, fair and exciting primary,” Foxx said, referring to Adelita’s endorsements from Democrats like U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
She also sees a clear path to victory through two upcoming debates: one hosted by Arizona PBS and another by the Clean Elections Commission. Foxx said her uphill battle isn’t convincing voters to choose her over her opponents, it’s making sure voters know her name before they see it on their ballot.
“When we tell people that I’m young, that they have an opportunity to make history, that they have an option with a newer voice, they get excited about this election,” Foxx said.
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