Key Points:

• Adelita Grijalva will assume her late father’s seat

• Grijalva is the first Latina from Arizona to serve in Congress

• Swearing-in ceremony will take place in coming weeks

Adelita Grijalva will assume her late father’s seat in Congress and become the first Latina from Arizona to serve in the body after winning a special election in Southern Arizona Tuesday night. 

Grijalva defeated Republican challenger Daniel Butierrez handily to succeed her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, in blue-leaning Congressional District 7. The win comes after Grijalva beat out four other Democrats in a July primary election that made national headlines.

“Thank you, AZ07,” Grijalva posted on X shortly after the race was called. “We made history — juntos. Now, let’s get to work!”

Grijalva’s win was celebrated by prominent Arizona Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, Sen. Mark Kelly and Gov. Katie Hobbs.

“I look forward to working with Representative-Elect Grijalva as she fights and delivers for Southern Arizona families in Washington,” Hobbs wrote in a post on X Tuesday night.

Grijalva’s father died in March of complications from cancer treatment after serving 12 terms in Congress representing Southern Arizona. Grijalva jumped into the special election for his seat shortly after, facing off against former state lawmaker Daniel Hernandez and political influencer Deja Foxx in the Democratic primary.

The race made national headlines for Foxx’s age, 25, and her digital-first campaign, which pitted her against Grijalva’s institutional support and legacy name. Ultimately, Grijalva received over 24,000 more votes than Foxx. Hernandez came in third with less than 10,000 votes. 

Grijalva is expected to carry her father’s torch in Congress, focusing on issues such as the environment, Indigenous rights, and education. 

She recently accused Israel of committing genocide in Palestine, an issue many Progressives were waiting for her to weigh in on in strong terms. 

Grijalva is also teed up to be the final vote on a discharge petition to force a House floor vote on legislation requiring the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. She has already pledged to sign the petition upon being sworn in.

The date of Grijalva’s swearing-in ceremony has not been set but will likely take place within the coming weeks. She will also head back out on the campaign trail next year to run for a full term in the CD7 seat.