Tuesday night’s Democratic primary debate was more contentious than the previous night’s Republican debate. The five Democratic candidates for the U.S. House from District 7 — Deja Foxx, Adelita Grijalva, Daniel Hernandez, Jose Malvido Jr. and Patrick Harris Sr. — took turns taking swings at each other and defending their records.
Hernandez, Malvido, and Foxx each went after Grijalva — about her time on the school board for Tucson Unified School District, for her position on Israel and the border, and for being a legacy politician.
Grijalva addressed each criticism in turn, focusing on the importance of standing up against Trump, supporting immigrants, and defending progressive values. Calling Trump a “clear and present danger,” Grijalva said she stands with all immigrants and was prepared to “risk it all for the benefit of the people.”
Much like the Republican debate, the Democratic debate started and focused on immigration. But the stances taken by the Democrats were the polar opposite of the previous night’s answers. All of the Democratic candidates unequivocally condemned the presence of National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles.
They each also called for a pathway to permanent legal status for visa holders, undocumented residents and Dreamers.
Foxx said Democrats need to elect stronger storytellers, and repeatedly referred to her youth — she’s 25 — and the need to elect younger people into office. She said she wanted to pull the Democratic party toward “moral clarity.
Hernandez critiqued the Trump administration, calling the current proposed tariffs “Trump’s stupid policies.” He also said the Democrats had a “credibility problem” and had devolved into a “circular firing squad.”
Harris continually pushed for his financial plan, Cap the Cap, that would cap all individual earnings at $1 billion and require billionaires to invest any additional earnings for the public benefit.
In one memorable moment, Harris held up five fingers to represent various stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. He explained the five points one by one, ticking off his fingers until he was left with only the middle finger held up to the camera.
Malvido called out Border Patrol abuses against Indigenous populations. He declared in his opening statement that he was “not a politician,” adding, “I don’t trust the folks that are here.”
Foxx asked for fellow candidates to raise their hands to show their commitment to rejecting all corporate PAC donations. All candidates, except Hernandez, raised their hands.
The debate aired at 6 p.m., June 10, and is available to watch here.
Representation of this Southern Arizona district is open for the first time in more than two decades. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat, had represented the area since 2003 before he died in March at age 77 from complications related to lung-cancer treatment. His daughter, Adelita Grijalva, is running as a Democrat.
It’s a crowded race, with five Democrats, three Republicans and three write-in candidates. All of the Democrats agreed to debate tonight. They are: Deja Foxx, Adelita Grijalva, Daniel Hernandez, Jose Malvido Jr. and Patrick Harris Sr.
Early voting starts June 18 and the July 15 primary election will narrow the field. The winner of the Democratic primary will face the winning Republican in the special general election in September. The person elected will serve through 2026.
District 7 stretches along the U.S.-México border and includes parts of six counties: Pima, Santa Cruz, Yuma, Cochise, Maricopa and Pinal as well as four sovereign tribal nations: the Cocopah, Pascua Yaqui, Quechan and Tohono O’odham. The district is 60% Hispanic.
Democrats are heavily represented in this district. As of April, 40% of voters in this district are registered Democrats, 37% are independents, 21% are Republicans and 2% belong to other political parties.
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