by Staff Reporter | Oct 16, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Attorney General Kris Mayes says recently elected congresswoman Adelita Grijalva must be sworn in, or else she will take legal action against House leadership.
Statewide certification occurred on Tuesday. After, Mayes sent a letter threatening House Speaker Mike Johnson with legal action should Grijalva not be sworn in promptly. Grijalva assumed the seventh congressional district seat vacated by her father, Raúl Grijalva, in a special election last month.
“Failing to seat Ms. Grijalva immediately or to otherwise provide a reasonable explanation as to when she will be seated will prompt legal action,” said Mayes in her demand letter.
Representative-elect Grijalva received nearly 70 percent of the 102,000 votes certified, a “substantial share” of which were mail-in ballots. There are about 440,000 registered voters in the district, which would mean Grijalva was elected by just 16 percent of all active registered voters in the district.
Even though Grijalva represents far less than a quarter of voters in her district — and her father was virtually absent from two whole sessions of Congress — Democrats insist on the relevance of immediate representation for the seventh congressional district.
In an accompanying press release, Mayes blamed the delay to swear in Grijalva on “political games.”
“It’s way past time for Mike Johnson to stop the political games and seat Adelita without delay,” said Mayes. “We are keeping every option open to us, including litigation, to hold him accountable and make sure that Adelita is able to begin her work as Arizona’s newest member of Congress.”
Grijalva has also been accused of political games with her demands to be sworn in prior to the certification of the special election, which would officiate the results.
The Democratic Women’s Caucus — and a few male Democratic electeds — marched the Capitol hallways chanting “Swear her in!” with matching political signs that read, “Every American Deserves Representation. Swear in Adelita Grijalva Now.”
Johnson was not in the Capitol during this display, as he was reportedly attending the ceremony to award the late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would have been his 32nd birthday. Kirk was assassinated by a progressive activist last month.
A Johnson aide told CNN that Grijalva is one bargaining measure to pressure Democrats to lift the ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted over two weeks now.
Grijalva insists there’s more to the story. The representative-elect claims Johnson’s delay doesn’t have to do with the shutdown but with her support for releasing the Epstein files. Grijalva’s signature would ensure their release.
Mayes addressed the Johnson aide remarks in her demand letter.
“Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate and may not be delayed or used as leverage in negotiations about unrelated legislation,” said Mayes.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Apr 1, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Democrat Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, daughter of late-Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) has announced that she will resign from her County Office effective April 4th and enter the primary race for her father’s seat. Declining to run for the 7th District seat herself, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero will chair Grijalva’s campaign.
In a press release issued Monday, the Pima County Supervisor indicated that her decision largely comes from a desire to oppose the agenda of President Donald Trump, maligning X owner Elon Musk in his capacity as a special government employee as leading a “gang of billionaires […] destroying our nation.”
Grijalva said in her full statement:
“I am running for Congress because Southern Arizona deserves bold leadership that will fight for working families and stand up to Donald Trump.
“Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and their gang of billionaires are destroying our nation. They’re destroying our schools. They’re attacking our most sacred rights. They’re poisoning our environment. But together, we will stop them. This fight starts right here, right now, in southern Arizona.
“I’ve spent my life as an advocate, fighting for the brighter future we all deserve – from 20 years on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board where I strengthened public education for all children, to the Pima County Board of Supervisors where I spearheaded investments in affordable housing and childcare, and protected our beautiful Sonoran desert. In Congress, I will work to create opportunities to help all our families achieve their American Dream – no matter who you are, where you come from, or where you live.”
Speaking with AZ Luminaria, Grijalva said, “We’re not living in normal times,” and accused the Trump administration of “dismantling our entire democracy.” The outlet reported that Grijalva will be launching a listening tour later this week with a stop in Yuma and a focus on talking “to people who have lived experience that I don’t have.”
As noted by the outlet, Grijalva will face off in the Democratic primary against former AZ State Representative Daniel Hernandez, in addition to a dozen other candidates.
Ten Republicans have reportedly filed statements of interest in the Congressional seat with Daniel Butierez, Rep. Grijalva’s 2024 opponent considered the leading GOP Primary contender. According to The Cook Political Report, District 7 is well-established as Democrat held with a rating of D+15. The late Congressman Grijalva was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and held his seat for over twenty years despite redistricting in 2013. In the 2024 election, Grijalva defeated Butierez by a 26.8% margin.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 30, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced in a social media post on Wednesday that he will not be running to replace the late Democrat Congressman Raúl Grijalva in the 7th Congressional District. Instead Fontes will seek to defend his seat as Arizona’s top election official in the 2026 mid-term election.
In his remarks, posted to X, Fontes referred to a “rising tide of fascism sweeping this nation,” as his primary motivation for the decision. Fontes cited President Donald Trump’s Executive Order “Preserving And Protecting The Integrity Of American Elections,” and claimed that through this action the “president is laying the groundwork to cancel elections in 2026.”
Fontes gave no explanation or description of how requiring voter identification, preventing non-citizens from voting, cooperation between the state and federal governments to maintain voter roll integrity, requiring states only count ballots received on or by election day, and improving the security of voting systems could possibly accomplish this end.
Fontes wrote:
“I have considered the pros and cons of running for congress. It is clear to me that our party must fight harder and stand up to the rising tide of fascism sweeping this nation.
“With this week’s executive order from the Trump Administration, I firmly believe the president is laying the groundwork to cancel elections in 2026.
“After careful thought and reflection, I have decided that for family, for country, and for democracy, I will continue to defend America as Arizona’s secretary of state.”
As reported by KJZZ, Fontes claimed that the Executive Order, “is in my view an attempt to erode confidence so much that he [Trump] will be able to declare some kind of emergency or something and potentially just cancel the elections in 2026. I don’t think that is beyond what this administration is capable of.”
In a subsequent interview with Scripps, Fontes proceeded to double-down, telling Elizabeth Landers that were DOGE to come for any of Arizona’s voter rolls or information, as required under the Executive Order, he “would tell them to go to hell.”
He also announced that a formal campaign announcement for Secretary of State will be forthcoming.
Several commenters to Fontes’ post on X disagreed with his characterization of his decision, instead positing that the late-Rep. Grijalva’s daughter Adelita Grijalva is the likely frontrunner.
Former Arizona State Representative Daniel Hernandez Jr. has already announced his candidacy for the seat as well with at least seven statements of interest filed for the race so far.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 25, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Former state representative Daniel Hernandez Jr. announced his campaign for late Congressman Raúl Grijalva’s open seat.
On Monday, Hernandez launched a campaign platform presenting a sweeping defense against the Trump administration: resisting Republican-led changes to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, voting, abortion, and gun ownership.
“America is in trouble,” said the announcement video from Hernandez. “I’m Daniel Hernandez, and I’m running for Congress because we need leaders who will stand up and do whatever it takes for working families, for veterans, and for seniors.”
Hernandez lost his last congressional race in 2022 against Kirsten Engel in the Democratic primary. Engel lost to incumbent Congressman Juan Ciscomani.
After his loss in 2022, Hernandez became the Government Affairs Director at Stand for Children in Arizona (SCA).
SCA is the Arizona hub for Stand for Children, the advocacy arm of the progressive education advocacy nonprofit Stand for Children Leadership Center (SCLC). Stand for Children has a presence in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. It focuses on advancing “educational equity and racial justice” in children.
Stand for Children took credit for Arizona’s $1 billion increase in education funding following the court overturning of Proposition 208. The organization cited its creations of “bipartisan” coalitions of legislators, school superintendents, and education groups, in addition to a digital advertising campaign resulting in over 26,000 Arizonans urging their lawmakers to use the state surplus to fund education.
“Throughout the effort, the coalition leveraged strategic lobbying resources that led to a key Republican ally in the Senate — where Republicans hold a one seat majority — committing to vote down any budget that did not include $1 billion funding increase for public education,” said Stand for Children’s 2022 annual report.
Stand for Children also took credit for the defeat of HCR 2001 in 2022, a bill to prohibit diversity, equity, and inclusion statements in the classroom.
Currently, SCA is advocating for abolition of the aggregate expenditure limit, eliminating fees from the state’s juvenile court system, lifting restrictions on what teachers can teach, improving the number of freshmen on track to graduate high school, investing in early literature expansions, and reforming the state’s school choice program.
SCLC operates the program Center for Antiracist Education (CARE).
Hernandez made a name for himself in politics in 2011 when he provided first aid to then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords after she was shot in the head during an attempted assassination. Hernandez was in his first week of an internship with Giffords’ office at the time. Later that year, Tucson voters elected Hernandez to the Sunnyside Unified School District governing board.
In 2016, Hernandez was elected to the Arizona House. Hernandez co-founded the LGBTQ Caucus.
Hernandez has also been the program manager for Planned Parenthood’s Latino outreach program and state director of Everytown for Gun Safety.
The primary election for Grijalva’s open seat is scheduled for July 15, followed by the general election on September 23.
Hernandez is one of 20 individuals who have filed statements of interest in the race: nine Democrats, nine Republicans, one Libertarian, and one Green Party member.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Jan 28, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Constituents of the seventh congressional district are calling on their congressman, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, to retire from office due to his failing to show up for key votes this session.
Per House Clerk records, Grijalva hasn’t cast a vote on legislation this session yet. His last vote was for Hakeem Jeffries for House Speaker at the start of this month.
Critics of Grijalva’s continued absence in the House pointed out how Grijalva urged former President Joe Biden to drop out of last year’s presidential race.
House Clerk records also show that Grijalva last cast votes in November 2024 during the second session of the last Congress. There were nearly 40 roll call votes taken that second session, during which Grijalva was registered as “not voting.”
Grijalva sat on the committees for Education and Workforce, and Natural Resources. The congressman stepped down from his leadership position in the latter last month. Grijalva entered Congress in 2003.
Grijalva’s lack of presence in Congress is attributable to his lung cancer diagnosis, which he announced last April. Despite undergoing cancer treatments, Grijalva committed to running another term — his final, he promised.
Last October, Cronkite News reported that Grijalva didn’t cast any votes since mid-February, several months before he announced his cancer diagnosis. Those missed votes amounted to over 300.
Altogether, Grijalva missed about 480 out of the 490 roll call votes from mid-February through last week. As Arizona Daily Star columnist and constituent Tim Steller pointed out, that amounts to 97 percent of voting opportunities missed.
Grijalva told KOLD at the time that his failing to vote made no difference in Congress.
“They’re inconsequential because the Republicans are in charge and it’s the worst performing Congress in decades, if not a hundred years,” said Grijalva.
This session, Grijalva has missed out on 25 key votes on 19 pieces of legislation:
- House Resolution 5: Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, and for other purposes
- House Resolution 29: The Laken Riley Act
- House Resolution 23: Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act
- House Resolution 192: Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act
- House Resolution 152: Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act
- House Resolution 153: Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act
- House Resolution 28: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act
- House Resolution 164: POWER Act
- House Resolution 144: Tennessee Valley Authority Salary Transparency Act
- House Resolution 33: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the United States
- House Resolution 30: Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
- House Resolution 186: Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act
- House Resolution 187: MAPWaters Act
- House Resolution 53: Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 471) the Fix Our Forests Act; and providing for consideration of the bill (S. 5) the Laken Riley Act
- House Resolution 165: Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act
- Senate Bill 5: Laken Riley Act
- House Resolution 375: Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act
- House Resolution 471: Fix Our Forests Act
- House Resolution 21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
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