TUCSON, Ariz.—With a day to go before in-person balloting on July 15, progressive public official Adelita Grijalva leads in a key race for an open U.S. House seat anchored by the city of Tucson but stretching along the entire Arizona-Mexico border.
The hopefuls in the race are vying to finish the term of the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., Ms. Grijalva’s father and an icon in Arizona politics for his progressive views, his constant championing of oppressed peoples, his advocacy for immigrants’ rights, and his willingness to speak his mind. The senior Grijalva died in March of complications from cancer.
On the campaign trail, Adelita Grijalva is solidly on the progressive spectrum and shares her father’s outspokenness. She particularly vows to defend her constituents against the threats and ravages of the Republican Donald Trump regime.
“At this time in our nation, we can’t negotiate with a party of extremists, and you need people who are going to stand up for something. I’m going to stand up for Southern Arizona,” she says.
The outcome of the Arizona vote is important. The Democratic primary winner will be heavily favored in a special general election in September to fill out the rest of the senior Grijalva’s term through 2026. The Democratic victor would cut further into the slim House Republican majority, now 219-212. Democrats held three of the four vacant seats—including Raul Grijalva’s—and are favored in the three.
“Our democracy, not just our politics, is being dismantled,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, a close friend of the Grijalva family, and Adelita Grijalva’s campaign manager, told the Progressive Democrats of America on July 6. “We need someone like Adelita to jump in…What is fueling Donald Trump and the MAGA extremists is greed and racism.”
Adelita Grijalva draws on her experience in serving her constituents, from years on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, and as director of the Pima County Teen Court, a diversion program for teens facing legal troubles.
She also has the advantage of the fact that mail-in balloting already accounts for more than 40% of expected turnout, and endorsements from noted progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and from the Arizona Education Association.
The union’s endorsement is notable. Several years ago, during a Republican regime in the state capital of Phoenix, AEA allied with parents and marshalled a mass movement during the wave of “Red for Ed” activism nationwide, to beat back school funding cuts which the state GOP proposed.
All children deserve high-quality education
“All children deserve access to fully funded, high-quality education, no matter who they are or what their zip code is. I’m running to ensure our public schools get the federal resources they deserve and to fight for Southern Arizona’s families and educators,” Adelita Grijalva said after the AEA backed her.
Union President Marisol Garcia, a middle-school social studies teacher, said Grijalva, who has three children in Tucson public schools, “will fight to defend federal funding for our schools and make sure every student gets the great education they deserve. She’s an authentic leader from Southern Arizona, and our members trust her because she leads with union values at her heart.”
Other unions backing Adelita Grijalva include the United Food and Commercial Workers and the Machinists, along with the Working Families Party, the League of Conservation Voters, La Lucha, and a host of community groups, Mayor Romero added. Progressive Democrats of America nationwide are phone-banking for Grijalva.
Adelita Grijalva’s main primary foe, Deja Foxx, 25, describes herself as “a change agent,” an “influencer” and founder of the GenZ Girl Gang. While Foxx also calls herself a progressive, local political activist, Joe Bernick noted that outside big money has recently poured into her race.
The sole poll in the race was online and more than a week before the primary, Bernick reports. He added the Foxx campaign commissioned it, and it gave Adelita Grijalva a 43%-35% lead over Foxx, with other candidates trailing. One of them, former State Rep. Daniel Hernandez, Jr., matched Adelita Grijalva in money before the late flow Bernick mentioned.
Grijalva and Fernandez each raised more than $1 million for the primary, while Foxx reported $650,000 —again, before the late influx of cash. Those three also are the only candidates of either major party who were born, raised, and still live in Tucson. One other Democrat, a former local union president for Raytheon workers, moved there as an adult. Most other hopefuls live outside the congressional district.
“Over 40% said in the poll “they had already voted so Foxx would need to lead Grijalva by some 20% of the remaining people polled if they all vote, but many will end up not voting,” Bernick added. Foxx has mainly campaigned online.
Political writer Jeremy Duda wrote in Axios Phoenix that Hernandez “previously ran in the neighboring 6th District and had a reputation as a moderate who worked with the Republican majority.”
In an op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star, Raul Aguirre, president of the progressive REA Media Group, lauded Adelita Grijalva for reaching far beyond the schools to tackle other issues important to her, her father, and her constituents.
Grijalva, he said, “brings a robust understanding of housing policy, immigration, and economic policy challenges—issues that at the heart of” voters’ concerns, as well as long experience tackling education.
“In a district where housing affordability and secure neighborhoods are pressing, her nuanced approach to policy promises to bridge the gap between economic growth and social equity. Her direct involvement in crafting policies at the local level, combined with her deep connection to the community, offers her a unique perspective that is sorely needed in Washington.”
The other candidates in the race, Aguirre said, are “carpetbaggers and opportunistic outsiders who attempt to claim a stake in this vital seat” and who might see this role as just another stepping stone in a political career.”
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