Adelita Grijalva Wins Democratic Primary to Succeed Late Father in Arizona House Race
Arizona Democrats have chosen Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, as their nominee to fill his former U.S. House seat in a special election this September, according to a projection by The Associated Press.
Grijalva, a former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, emerged victorious in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, defeating 25-year-old activist Deja Foxx and former state Representative Daniel Hernandez.
With more than two-thirds of ballots counted, Grijalva had secured approximately 62% of the vote, far ahead of Foxx, who received 20%.
The 54-year-old Grijalva drew support from a wide coalition of high-profile Democrats, including Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, as well as national progressive leaders such as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
While both Grijalva and Foxx ran on progressive platforms, the race exposed generational tensions within the party. During a debate last month, Foxx criticized what she perceived as political nepotism, noting that she wasn’t “born on a path” to Congress and lacked a “legacy last name.”
Foxx also garnered support from Leaders We Deserve, a political action committee founded by former Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg, which focuses on promoting young candidates in Democratic primaries. Grijalva, meanwhile, pushed back on the notion that experience should be discounted due to age. “It’s frustrating to me how experience is being seen as a negative,” she told NBC News. “In a Democratic primary, in a party that should be focused on educating and informing — I wasn’t prepared for the misinformation I encountered.”
Although Grijalva is older than Foxx, she would still be younger than more than half of the members currently serving in the House if elected.
Prior to her time on the Pima County Board, Grijalva served on the Tucson Unified School District board and led a nonprofit focused on juvenile justice diversion programs.
Her father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, held the seat for 12 terms before passing away in March at age 77.
Adelita Grijalva will face Republican nominee Daniel Butierez in the Sept. 23 special election. The district — which includes much of Tucson and stretches to Arizona’s southern border — leans heavily Democratic. According to the NBC News Decision Desk, Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 22 points in the 2024 election.
