Her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, held the seat for more than 22 years until his death in March.
Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), has won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona’s Seventh District, which was recently held by her father.
Grijalva defeated the Republican nominee, Daniel Butierez, with 70.6 percent of the vote to his 27.6 percent. As of writing, she had garnered 58,046 votes in total. The race was called by The Associated Press at 11:08 p.m. ET.
Grijalva’s election increases the size of the House Democratic Caucus to 214 members, which reduces the margin of defections possible from the House Republican Conference to pass measures through the body.
Another Democratic-leaning House district, occupied by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), will hold a special election to elect a new member on Nov. 4.
“This isn’t about me, it’s about us & our comunidad. Let’s make history tomorrow, juntas,” wrote Grijalva on social media one day before the election, using Spanish words for “community” and “together.”
The district that Grijalva, 54, will represent is on the international border between the United States and Mexico and has a large Hispanic population of Mexican descent, with Spanish being the first language of many voters.
Raúl Grijalva represented Arizona’s Seventh District in some configuration for more than 22 years from 2003 until his death on March 13 this year. The district has a Cook Partisan Voting Index (PVI) Score of D+13, indicating that the district leans heavily Democratic.
Adelita Grijalva faced a competitive primary to become the election’s Democratic nominee, against social media influencer Deja Foxx, who ran with the backing of former Democratic National Committee Vice Chairman David Hogg, who donated approximately $150,000 to her campaign.
Hogg’s political action committee, “Leaders We Deserve,” has sought to back younger candidates in Democratic primary contests—sometimes against incumbent Democratic officeholders—in order to effect generational change in politics.
Grijalva defeated Foxx handily in the primary contest on July 15 with 61.9 percent of the vote. The Epoch Times interviewed voters in the district during the primary contest to gauge Grijalva’s appeal.
By Arjun Singh
