2025 Arizona's 7th congressional district special election
Election following the death of Raúl Grijalva
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The 2025 Arizona's 7th congressional district special election was held on September 23, 2025, to fill Arizona's 7th congressional district for the remainder of the 119th United States Congress. The result was certified by the Arizona Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes, on October 14.[1]
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September 23, 2025
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Arizona's 7th congressional district | |||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 23.18% | ||||||||||||||||
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Grijalva: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Butierez: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
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This followed the July 15, 2025, primary election which results were certified by Fontes 16 days later on July 31.
The seat became vacant following the death of incumbent Democrat Raúl Grijalva on March 13, 2025.[2] It is considered a safe Democratic district.[3]
The election was won by former Pima County supervisor Adelita Grijalva, Raúl Grijalva's daughter.[4] The younger Grijalva won by 40%, a significant overperformance from Kamala Harris's 22% victory in the district in the 2024 presidential election.[5]
Background
Incumbent Congressman Raúl Grijalva was diagnosed with lung cancer on April 2, 2024, and died in office on March 13, 2025, from complications from cancer treatments at age 77.[2]
Writing for The Arizona Republic in May, Laura Gersony noted that the "leading candidates" were Daniel Hernández Jr., Adelita Grijalva, and Deja Foxx; further noting that Hernández held an initial lead in fundraising stemming from supporters of Israel and that Grijalva would likely benefit from some of the campaign infrastructure built by her father.[6] Grijalva received the endorsement of both of Arizona's U.S. Senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and a number of Democratic political organizations, including EMILY's List and Giffords.[7][8][9]
Grijalva won the Democratic primary on July 15, and faced Republican painting contractor Daniel Butierez.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Adelita Grijalva, former Pima County supervisor (2020–2025) and daughter of deceased incumbent Raúl Grijalva[10][11]
Eliminated in primary
- Deja Foxx, organizer and social media influencer[12]
- Patrick Harris, businessman
- Daniel Hernández Jr., former state representative from the 2nd district (2017–2023) and candidate for the 6th congressional district in 2022[13]
- Jose Malvido Jr., nonprofit program officer[14]
Declined
- Adrian Fontes, Arizona secretary of state (2023–present) (running for re-election)[15]
- Alma Hernandez, state representative from the 20th district (2023–present)[16] (endorsed Hernández)[17]
- Consuelo Hernandez, state representative from the 21st district (2023–present)[16] (endorsed Hernández)[17]
- Regina Romero, mayor of Tucson (2019–present)[16] (endorsed Grijalva)[18]
Endorsements
Deja Foxx
- U.S. representatives
- Marilyn Strickland, U.S. representative from Washington's 10th congressional district (2021–present)[19]
- Party officials
- David Hogg, former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee (2025)[20]
- Individuals
- Busy Philipps, actress[21]
- Organizations
Adelita Grijalva
- U.S. senators
- Ruben Gallego, U.S. senator from Arizona (2025–present)[7]
- Mark Kelly, U.S. senator from Arizona (2020–present)[7]
- Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator from Vermont (2007–present) (Independent)[24]
- U.S. representatives
- Ron Barber, former U.S. representative from Arizona's 8th congressional district (2012–2015)[25]
- Greg Casar, U.S. representative from Texas's 35th congressional district (2023–present)[26]
- Veronica Escobar, U.S. representative from Texas's 16th congressional district (2019–present)[27]
- Maxwell Frost, U.S. representative from Florida's 10th congressional district (2023–present)[26]
- Gabby Giffords, former U.S. representative from Arizona's 8th congressional district (2007–2012)[7]
- Pramila Jayapal, U.S. representative from Washington's 7th congressional district (2017–present)[26]
- Ann Kirkpatrick, former U.S. representative from Arizona's 2nd congressional district (2009–2011, 2013–2017, 2019–2023)[25]
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. representative from New York's 14th congressional district (2019–present)[28]
- Linda Sánchez, U.S. representative from California's 38th congressional district (2003–present)[29]
- Nydia Velázquez, U.S. representative from New York's 7th congressional district (1993–present)[27]
- State legislators
- Cesar Aguilar, state representative from the 26th district (2023–present)[25]
- Rosanna Gabaldón, state senator from the 21st district (2021–present)[25]
- Nancy Gutierrez, state representative from the 18th district (2023–present)[18]
- Christopher Mathis, state representative from the 18th district (2021–present)[18]
- Mariana Sandoval, state representative from the 23rd district (2023–present)[18]
- Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, state representative from the 21st district (2023–present)[18]
- Priya Sundareshan, state senator from the 26th district (2023–present)[25]
- Betty Villegas, state representative from the 20th district (2023–present)[18]
- Local officials
- Andrés Cano, Pima County supervisor (2025–present) and former state representative from the 20th district (2019–2023)[25]
- Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Pima County recorder (2021–present)[18]
- Regina Romero, mayor of Tucson (2019–present)[18]
- Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix (2019–present)[25]
- Labor unions
- Communications Workers of America Local 7000[30]
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99[31]
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 570[25]
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers[25]
- National Nurses United[32]
- Organizations
- Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund[33]
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC[29]
- Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC[26]
- Christopher Street Project[34]
- EMILY's List[9]
- Giffords PAC[8]
- Humane World Action Fund[35]
- Latino Victory Fund[36]
- League of Conservation Voters Action Fund PAC[37]
- National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare[38]
- Our Revolution[39]
- PODER PAC[40]
- Reproductive Freedom for All[41]
- Working Families Party[42]
- Tribal nations
Daniel Hernández Jr.
- Executive branch officials
- Marco López Jr., former chief of staff of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (2009–2011)[44]
- U.S. representatives
- Norma Torres, U.S. representative from California's 35th congressional district (2015–present)[21]
- Ritchie Torres, U.S. representative from New York's 15th congressional district (2021–present)[45]
- Eric Sorensen, U.S. representative from Illinois's 17th congressional district (2023–present)[25]
- State legislators
- Lupe Contreras, state representative from the 22nd district (2023–present)[25]
- Eva Diaz, state senator from the 22nd district (2023–present)[25]
- Sally Ann Gonzales, state senator from the 20th district (2019–present)[25]
- Alma Hernandez, state representative from the 20th district (2023–present) (candidate's sister)[17]
- Consuelo Hernandez, state representative from the 21st district (2023–present) (candidate's sister)[17]
- Lydia Hernandez, state representative from the 24th district (2023–present)[25]
- Evan Low, former California state assemblymember from the 26th district (2014–2024)[46]
- Elda Luna-Nájera, state representative from the 22nd district (2024–present)[25]
- Myron Tsosie, state representative from the 6th district (2019–present)[25]
- Individuals
- Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action[21]
- Labor unions
- Arizona Federation of Teachers[17]
- International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Local 807[17]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 104[47]
- Organizations
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Deja Foxx |
Adelita Grijalva |
Daniel Hernández |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D)[A] | June 26–29, 2025 | 540 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 35% | 43% | 9% | 3%[b] | 11% |
| Change Research (D)[A] | May 13–16, 2025 | 530 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 10% | 41% | 16% | 2%[c] | 32% |
| Public Policy Polling (D)[B] | April 7–8, 2025 | 527 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 5% | 49% | 11% | – | 35% |
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||||
| Foxx | Grijalva | Harris | Hernández | Malvido | |||||
| 1 | May 27, 2025 | KAET[52] | Ted Simons | [53] | P | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | June 10, 2025 | Arizona Public Media[54] | Steve Goldstein, Nohelani Graf | [55] | P | P | P | P | P |
Results
Grijalva
50–60%
60–70%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Adelita Grijalva | 38,679 | 61.48% | |
| Democratic | Deja Foxx | 14,078 | 22.38% | |
| Democratic | Daniel Hernández Jr. | 8,541 | 13.58% | |
| Democratic | Patrick Harris | 925 | 1.47% | |
| Democratic | Jose Malvido Jr. | 687 | 1.09% | |
| Total votes | 62,910 | 100.00% | ||
| Town | Foxx | Grijalva | Harris | Hernández Jr. | Malvido Jr. | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochise | 646 | 22.17% | 1,888 | 64.79% | 35 | 1.20% | 326 | 11.19% | 19 | 0.65% | 2,914 |
| Maricopa | 1,122 | 21.69% | 2,739 | 52.95% | 109 | 2.11% | 1,167 | 22.56% | 36 | 0.70% | 5,173 |
| Pima | 10,880 | 23.93% | 27,923 | 61.42% | 622 | 1.37% | 5,512 | 12.12% | 525 | 1.16% | 45,462 |
| Pinal | 31 | 14.90% | 120 | 57.69% | 7 | 3.37% | 45 | 21.64% | 5 | 2.40% | 208 |
| Santa Cruz | 696 | 15.08% | 3,087 | 66.88% | 68 | 1.47% | 717 | 15.53% | 48 | 1.04% | 4,616 |
| Yuma | 703 | 15.50% | 2,922 | 64.40% | 84 | 1.85% | 774 | 17.06% | 54 | 1.19% | 4,537 |
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
Endorsements
Jorge Rivas
- Local officials
- Ross Teeple, Pinal County Sheriff (2025–present)[46]
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||
| Butierez | Rivas | Rodriguez | |||||
| 1 | May 30, 2025 | KAET[60] | Ted Simons | [61] | P | P | A |
| 2 | June 9, 2025 | Arizona Public Media[54] | Steve Goldstein, Nohelani Graf | [62] | P | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Daniel Butierez | 11,121 | 60.89% | |
| Republican | Jorge Rivas | 4,594 | 25.15% | |
| Republican | Jimmy Rodriguez | 2,549 | 13.96% | |
| Total votes | 18,264 | 100.00% | ||
| Town | Butierez | Rivas | Rodriguez | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cochise | 446 | 51.86% | 303 | 35.23% | 111 | 12.91% | 860 |
| Maricopa | 824 | 46.29% | 603 | 33.88% | 353 | 19.83% | 1,780 |
| Pima | 7,309 | 62.15% | 2,871 | 24.41% | 1,580 | 13.44% | 11,760 |
| Pinal | 170 | 60.71% | 78 | 27.86% | 32 | 11.43% | 280 |
| Santa Cruz | 936 | 68.22% | 282 | 20.55% | 154 | 11.22% | 1,372 |
| Yuma | 1,434 | 64.89% | 457 | 20.68% | 319 | 14.43% | 2,210 |
Third parties and independents
Green primary
Candidates
Declared
- Eduardo Quintana, former chair of the Pima County Green Party and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024 (write-in)[14]
- Gary Swing, organic produce clerk and perennial candidate (write-in)[64]
Results
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Declared
- Andy Fernandez (write-in)[14]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Andy Fernandez (write-in) | 19 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 19 | 100.00% | ||
No Labels primary
Candidates
Declared
- Richard Grayson, writer and perennial candidate (write-in)[18]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Labels | Richard Grayson (write-in) | 1 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 1 | 100.00% | ||
Write-in candidates
Declared
- Jeff Beasley (Republican)[65]
- Avery Block (Republican)[66]
- G. Seville Hatch (Republican)[67]
- Nathaniel Irwin Sr. (No Labels)[68]
- Trista di Genova (Independent)[69]
- Cheval Lavers (Democratic)[65]
- David McAllister (Republican)[65]
- James Rose (DSA)[70]
- Daniel Wood (Independent)[71]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[72] | Solid D | August 13, 2025 |
| Inside Elections[73] | Solid D | June 30, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[74] | Safe D | August 14, 2025 |
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Butierez | Grijalva | |||||
| 1 | August 26, 2025 | Arizona Public Media[75] | Nohelani Graf | [76] | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Adelita Grijalva | 70,148 | 68.92% | +5.47% | |
| Republican | Daniel Butierez | 29,944 | 29.42% | −7.13% | |
| Green | Eduardo Quintana | 1,118 | 1.10% | N/A | |
| No Labels | Richard Grayson | 537 | 0.53% | N/A | |
| Republican | Jeff Beasley (write-in) | 9 | 0.01% | N/A | |
| Independent | James Rose (write-in) | 8 | 0.01% | N/A | |
| Independent | Trista di Genova (write-in) | 3 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Republican | G. Sevillr Hatch (write-in) | 3 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Republican | Avery Block (write-in) | 2 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Independent | Daniel Wood (write-in) | 2 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| No Labels | Nathaniel James Irwin Sr. (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Democratic | Cheval Lavers (write-in) | 1 | 0.00% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 101,776 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County[77] | Adelita Grijalva Democratic |
Daniel Butierez Republican |
Various candidates Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Cochise (part) | 3,327 | 71.06% | 1,277 | 27.27% | 78 | 1.67% | 2,050 | 43.78% | 4,682 |
| Maricopa (part) | 6,221 | 67.80% | 2,800 | 30.52% | 154 | 1.68% | 3,421 | 37.29% | 9,175 |
| Pima (part) | 49,992 | 70.26% | 19,982 | 28.08% | 1,180 | 1.66% | 30,010 | 42.18% | 71,154 |
| Pinal (part) | 275 | 36.67% | 460 | 61.33% | 15 | 2.00% | -185 | -24.67% | 750 |
| Santa Cruz | 4,912 | 69.70% | 2,047 | 29.05% | 88 | 1.25% | 2,865 | 40.66% | 7,047 |
| Yuma (part) | 5,421 | 60.45% | 3,378 | 37.67% | 169 | 1.88% | 2,043 | 22.78% | 8,968 |
| Totals | 70,148 | 68.92% | 29,944 | 29.42% | 1,684 | 1.65% | 40,204 | 39.50% | 101,776 |