Key Points:

• CD7 will be the first election in the state since big losses for Democrats in 2024

• Candidates hope the race will provide energy and clarity for Democrats running in 2026

• Elections will be held for all statewide offices

Six months after suffering devastating electoral losses at the state and national levels, Democrats are back on the campaign trail in southern Arizona, hoping to learn from their 2024 experience.

While candidates run in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, many are hoping the race will help energize the state’s Democratic base and provide clarity for a consistent message in 2026.

Every statewide office and all 90 legislative seats will be up for grabs next year, not to mention all nine U.S. House seats. Democrats hope to keep their tenuous hold on the top three statewide offices, while also flipping a few legislative and congressional seats. 

No one is more aware of the stakes than the candidates running in the 7th Congressional District. The outcome of the primary in the deep blue district will demonstrate to the party’s top brass what kind of candidate Democratic voters are looking for and the issues they want that candidate to focus on. 

At a debate hosted by Arizona PBS on May 27, all five Democratic candidates agreed that the party is not doing enough to fight back against Republicans and President Donald Trump. 

“This special election is the first referendum on 2024,” said Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media strategist running in the primary. “Did we learn our lessons, and who will we be as a party and a country in 2026? I hope, I pray, that the answer is newer, better, stronger.”

All the candidates and many voters in the district say the most significant lesson Democrats can learn is in their messaging. Daniel Hernandez, a former state representative running for the seat, is hitting that point especially hard.

“I think the biggest thing that we need to focus on as a party — for folks here at the state level who are going to hopefully run and get reelected like (Gov.) Katie Hobbs and (Secretary of State) Adrian Fontes — is the actual things that voters care about and not lecturing them,” Hernandez told the Arizona Capitol Times. “I think people are just sick and tired of the fighting, and they want to know what you’re going to actually do to solve problems.”

Voters in CD7 feel similarly, even if they do not plan to vote for Hernandez in the upcoming primary. Frank Sotomayor, a retired journalist who is volunteering his time with Adelita Grijalva’s campaign, echoed those sentiments.

“I think that the Democrats need to focus more on bread and butter issues, the economy, the bill at the grocery store, at the gas station,” Sotomayor said. 

Foxx, the youngest candidate in the race, would be the first woman of Generation Z in Congress if elected. She is acutely aware of the problems with age in the Democratic Party and the fact that this seat only opened up because its occupant passed away.

“Age is central to the conversation,” Foxx said. “We can pretend it’s not, but it matters to voters.”

The last eight members of Congress to pass away while in office were all Democrats, according to Business Insider. Raúl Grijalva was one of three House Democrats who passed away in 2025. 

Foxx said she believes the lack of a robust primary process in safe districts has contributed to the age problem among Democrats. That opinion is partially informed by her role as a surrogate for Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign, after Harris took over President Joe Biden’s candidacy without going through a primary. 

“People value primaries (and) being a part of the process,” Foxx said. “We heard that loud and clear in the Tik Tok comment sections and on the ground.”

State Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson, said she hopes the special election will help Democrats regain momentum and build toward goals they didn’t reach in 2024 — like flipping the Legislature. Sundareshan also serves as the co-chair of the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and said she has hope Democrats can flip some seats in 2026 despite losing ground last year. 

“After this race, it starts the process of mobilizing people towards electoral campaigns to show that there is an outlet, there’s a political outlet for your frustrations,” Sundareshan said. “And this is the most productive way that you can get engaged is by electing candidates that will champion your issues and your causes.”

Jacqueline Ortiz, another volunteer for Adelita Grijalva’s campaign, said Democrats need to remember to fight for every vote, including those from members of their own party.

“2024 was rough, and I feel like the Democrats realized that they can’t take anything for granted,” Ortiz said. “(Just) because (someone) voted blue in the last election doesn’t mean they’re going to vote blue again.”