Despite a contentious last few weeks of primary campaigning, and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised by her Democratic opponents, Adelita Grijalva won the primary to succeed her father in Southern Arizona’s Congressional District 7 with 62% of votes.
More than 300 supporters filling Tucson’s El Casino Ballroom screamed as the results came in around 8 p.m.
Introduced onto stage by her mother, Adelita walked up the steps and made her way through a crowd of supporters “Muchas gracias. Juntos! We did this juntos! This campaign knocked on 39,000 doors.” She said 1,400 volunteers were part of “this movimiento.”
“This campaign was about giving voice to this community,” Grijalva said. Adding that the campaign was not about “an individual or social media likes,” but about having real conversations with community members.
“I stand on the shoulders of giants,” she said, took a pause, and added: “Raúl Grijalva está presente.”
“I am so thankful my dad taught us all this is how you do this work. This is how you get this done,” Grijalva said to another eruption of cheers.
As she finished her speech, the crowd began chanting “¡Sí se puede! ¡Sí se puede!”
Betty Villegas, Democratic state representative from LD 20, told Arizona Luminaria she remembers when Raúl Grijalva was elected in 2002, and said she was feeling similar energy tonight. “There’s a lot of love in this room tonight,” Villegas said.
Grijalva will face Republican Daniel Butierez in the general election in September.
This will be the second time Butierez faces a Grijalva, as he tried to unseat Adelita’s late father, Raúl, in the 2024 CD7 Congressional election. Butierez led with 58% of the Republican vote in the primary.
Democrats
Republicans
Write-in candidates
Arizona Secretary of State unofficial results as of 8:45 p.m. Tuesday did not include votes for write-in candidates.
Eduardo Quintana, Green Party; Gary Swing, Green Party; Richard Grayson, No Labels Party; Andy Fernandez, Libertarian Party
Butierez hosted a party at a restaurant on the south side of Tucson. In addition to supporters of Butierez, fellow Republican Jimmy Rodriguez, Democratic candidate Patrick Harris, and Green Party candidate Gary Swing all showed up.
“I’m tired of fighting,” Butierez said, about why he invited both Democrats and Green Party candidates to his campaign’s watch party at Delicia’s Mexican Grill.
The mood and decor were both intensely patriotic, with God Bless America, Toby Keith, and other American standards playing through YouTube on various big screens throughout the room. Bunting, flag-themed cakes, and red, white and silver star-shaped balloons floated from table centerpieces next to plates of chimichangas.
“It was a rather unique opportunity,” Swing told Arizona Luminaria. He said it was the first time a candidate from an opposing party had invited him to a watch party.
Butierez said the impetus to invite other candidates came from having a couple conversations with Jimmy Rodriguez. “I like him and he’s a pretty nice guy,” Butierez said. He said much the same about Patrick Harris, who also attended the Republican-organized watch party.
“We absolutely need to start working together,” Butierez said.
He said he hasn’t sought out endorsements from state or national politicians because “I’m trying to run on my community.”
Harris said that the whole purpose of his primary issue, “cap the cap” — which would cap individual profits at $1 billion and require any additional income to be invested for the public good — is to “send a message we don’t need to fight,” Harris said.
Harris said he’s glad to join the Republican watch party because “I want to remind the Dems that you’re not empowered.” He added that they need to start working across the aisle.
Daniel Hernandez, who took a more centrist lane than other top Democratic candidates had 14% of votes.
Hernandez issued a statement congratulating Grijalva and encouraging his supporters to get behind her.
“We must come together to protect Arizona from the extremism of the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress,” Hernandez said.
Gen Z activist and first-time candidate Deja Foxx and her supporters gathered at Zerai’s International Bar in Tucson. Foxx garnered national attention, receiving media coverage of her and her campaign in New York Times, Teen Vogue, and the 19th, among others. She used social media, and her hundreds of thousands of followers, to raise over $600,000, according to her latest financial statement. Foxx had 20% of votes.
Jazlin Ladriere and Jacqueline Ortiz, both 24, both members of Gen Z who attended Grijalva’s watch party, explained why they gravitated to Grijalva instead of Foxx’s campaign.
“Having the same age as a candidate is not a relatable tactic,” Ortiz said. “It’s one thing to have a message and another to back it up.”
She said that the lesson from this campaign is that “progressive vote wins and progressive policies win.” She said she was a “mega-volunteer because I don’t have the money to be a mega-donor.”
Both Ortiz and Ladriere have known about Grijalva since high school. “She is very involved in the mariachi community,” Ladriere said. “She would go to every event, every fundraiser. She’s dedicated her professional life to this work, to this community.”
Grijalva told reporters her message to young voters who may have supported Foxx is that they are welcomed. “The messaging from my opponent resonated for some people. I want to bring those people together now,” Grijalva said.
Looking forward to September
Grijalva repeatedly said she needed to hit the ground running. She also emphasized that the race is not over.
The general election will be held Sept. 23. The person elected will serve through 2026. Representatives are normally elected to two-year terms.
If ultimately elected to Congress, Grijalva said her first priority would be to reverse Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the border. She also said she would join the progressive caucus.
Javier Duran, a professor at University of Arizona and director of the Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry, attended the election night party.
“The power of this campaign has been galvanizing for a community that feels under siege from the Trump administration,” he said, adding that a campaign that unifies “shows the possibility of what a community can do when it comes together. It’s very important and can make change even at the national level.”
Butierez relayed a similar message earlier in the evening, saying that his invitations to candidates from other parties to his election night events were an example of how both parties need to reach across the aisle more.
“That’s why I’m in this race,” Butierez said.
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