Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona

She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year

Adelita Grijalva hugs a supporter at a primary election-night party at El Casino Ballroom
Adelita Grijalva hugs a supporter at a primary election night party at El Casino Ballroom
(Image credit: Rebecca Noble / Getty Images)

What happened

Adelita Grijalva has become the Democratic nominee for Arizona's 7th Congressional District, taking more than 60% of the votes. She will go on to face Republican nominee Daniel Butierez in the race to fill the House seat vacated by her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva.

Who said what

Grijalva said her success was a win for the "progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago." The race had been considered a test for a Democratic Party "grappling with generational tensions within its ranks," said The Hill. When faced with a choice between continuity and generational change, "voters decided to stick with what they knew," said The New York Times.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What next?

Grijalva is "all but guaranteed" to beat Butierez in the September 23 special election, said the Times. She would become Arizona's first Latina congressional representative.

Explore More
Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.