Mike Johnson could soon swear in US Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva after record 48-day delay

PHOENIX — Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is heading to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, following reports that she will finally be sworn into office after a record-breaking delay.

“One of the things that this wait has sort of shown, not just for me, but for everybody, is that there really is a major problem with our government if one individual can quash the voices of 813,000 people in southern Arizona,” Grijalva told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

She spoke just hours after announcing she had learned via House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and media reports that Speaker Mike Johnson finally intended to swear her in.

“We just booked flights for Wednesday, so hopefully we’ll get there on a straight shot from Phoenix,” Grijalva added.

Major update! Looks like I may finally be getting sworn in this week. pic.twitter.com/VYuLObXDS1

— Adelita Grijalva (@AdelitaForAZ) November 10, 2025

Monday marks 48 days since Grijalva won Arizona’s 7th Congressional District in a landslide Sept. 23 special election.

She is expected to be sworn in around 2 p.m., Arizona time.

Her delay is the longest in modern-day history, surpassing the previous mark of 35 days for California Democrat Jimmy Gomez after his June 2017 special election victory.

Grijalva hopes to return to Washington, D.C. as soon as possible, but she’s concerned about flight delays due to the government shutdown.

“I was on a Democratic caucus meeting earlier today, and everyone was expressing concern on how long it’s going to take to get there,” said Grijalva, who lives in Tucson. “I’m driving up two hours to the Phoenix International Airport in the hopes of catching a direct flight.”

Why did Mike Johnson delay swearing in Adelita Grijalva?

The CD7 seat has been vacant since March 13, when her father, Raúl Grijalva, died at age 77 after a long battle with cancer.

Johnson initially cited the need to wait for official canvassing of the Sept. 23 election results, completed on Oct. 14.

After certification, he said the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, prevented the swearing-in.

Grijalva disputed this, noting that the House routinely holds pro forma sessions during shutdowns, allowing procedural business to continue.

Democrats have been urging Speaker Johnson to swear in Grijalva since her election. The pressure escalated three weeks ago when Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against Johnson over the delay.

The prolonged holdup sparked speculation that Johnson was trying to prevent Grijalva from casting the final signature needed to force a vote on releasing Justice Department files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case.

However, Johnson has denied that the Epstein matter played any role in the delay.

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