Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announces he won’t run for seat left open by Raúl Grijalva’s death

PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced Wednesday he will not run for the 7th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva.

In a statement on X, Fontes announced his intentions to remain as the state’s secretary. The news comes after Fontes announced he was considering a run for the congressional seat last week.

“I have considered the pros and cons of running for Congress. It it clear to me that our party must fight harder and stand up to the rising tide of fascism sweeping this nation,” Fontes wrote.

“With this week’s executive order from the Trump administration, I firmly believe the president is laying the groundwork to cancel elections in 2026. After careful thought and reflection, I have decided for family, for country and for democracy, I will continue to defend America as Arizona’s Secretary of State.”

The congressional seat has been vacant following Grijalva’s death on March 13 after a battle with cancer. Grijalva represented southern Arizona in Congress for over 20 years.

A special primary election for Grijalva’s southern Arizona district will take place on July 15. It will be followed by a general election on Sept. 23.

As of Wednesday, 22 people had filed statements of interest for the primary, including 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans, one Libertarian and one Green Party member.

Statements of interest are not official entries into the race, but they must be filed before a candidate can start collecting nomination petition signatures. The deadline to turn in petitions is April 14.

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