Voters in Arizona CD7 set to pick nominees in primary election for Grijalva’s seat

PHOENIX – Eligible voters in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District will go to the polls Tuesday to nominate candidates to fill late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s seat.

Early voting in the CD7 special primary election started June 18 and ended Friday.

CD7 spans most of the Arizona-Mexico border and includes parts of six counties: Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma. It covers parts of Tucson and the city of Yuma and even extends north into Avondale, Gila Bend, Goodyear and Tolleson in the West Valley.

Grijalva served southern Arizona in Congress for over 20 years until he died in March at age 77 from complications with his cancer treatment.

CD7 is a stronghold for Democrats, so the winner of that party’s primary election will be the heavy favorite to triumph in the Sept. 23 general election.

The seat is one of three U.S. House vacancies in heavily Democratic districts that, when filled in special elections this fall, will likely chip away at Republicans’ 220-212 majority in the chamber.

Who is on the ballot for the Arizona CD7 special primary election?

The Democratic ballot has five candidates:

• Adelita Grijalva: Grijalva’s daughter and a former Pima County supervisor.
• Daniel Hernandez: A former state lawmaker who helped save former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords’ life after she was seriously wounded in a mass shooting in 2011.
• Deja Foxx: A reproductive rights advocate and influencer who spoke during the Democratic National Convention last year.
• Jose Malvido Jr.: An Indigenous activist and scholar.
• Patrick Harris Sr.: A retired health care executive.

Meanwhile, Republicans will pick their nominee from a three-person list during Tuesday’s primary election:

• Daniel Butierez: A painting company owner and the GOP nominee in 2024.
• Jimmy Rodriguez: An off-road vehicle businessman who is on probation after pleading guilty to making a false statement to a government agency.
• Jorge Rivas: Owner of Sammy’s Mexican Grill in Catalina.

Libertarian Andy Fernandez Jr. and No Labels hopeful Richard Grayson are write-in candidates for their respective parties’ primaries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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