One of Adelita Grijalva’s last stops on her campaign before the special election on Sept. 23 was upstairs in Main Gate Square, where she attended a rally at Gentle Ben’s hosted by the University of Arizona College Democrats.
Grijalva, who won the Democratic Party primary for Southern Arizona’s 7th Congressional District on July 15, hopes to fill the seat previously held by her late father, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
The rally drew mainly from three groups: the Arizona College Democrats, Planned Parenthood Generation Action and the Associated Students of the University of Arizona. Grijalva was introduced by members from each club.
In her speech, Grijalva discussed how difficult the decision to run for her father’s seat was after his passing in March. She talked it over with her family, and her youngest son asked, “Who will do it if you don’t?”
Grijalva expressed her gratitude for the people of District 7 and especially for the UA community, noting she is an alumna. She recently spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about her committee preferences. She mentioned that she would choose workforce issues if she had to pick just one, though education is also a priority.
Another possible assignment would be Homeland Security, which she said is important because District 7 has three ports of entry. She added that it would help push back against President Donald Trump, who she said is “picking a fight with our greatest ally, Mexico.”
Grijalva also mentioned that the release of the Epstein files would need 218 signatures to force a vote in the House of Representatives. “Guess who would be 218?” Grijalva said.
“I have to look myself in the mirror and look my kids in the eye for every decision that I make,” Grijalva said. “If it is something I can’t explain in a sentence, then it’s not something that I should be doing.”
Grijalva reflected on her father’s impact in Congress, particularly with protecting natural environments. “He protected the Grand Canyon, unfortunately with an executive order, because that’s all they could do to fight. But my hope is that it’s that kind of legacy of protecting spaces for generations,” Grijalva said.
Many people associate Grijalva with her late father and ask her how she plans to be different. “The fight I’m walking into is totally different. This attack on the foundation of our democracy is not something that we’ve seen in our lifetime, and not my dad’s lifetime,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva also reflected on immigration enforcement and recent strategies from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We are dealing with so many people that are following their path to legalization. They’re going to a court hearing, and the only reason ICE can find people at their homes is because they’re registered and have a Taxpayer Identification Number and are paying taxes,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva has previously stated that the federal government needs to intervene and support local solutions to bigger problems. She gave an example from her time on the Pima Board of Supervisors, when the county received two grants: one for mammograms and one for vaccines for uninsured people.
The grants matched funds — the county paid for capital and bought mobile units. After Trump was elected, the grants ended. “That was a local solution that the federal government funded,” Grijalva said. “But it was stopped because the ideology in the White House had changed.”
When asked what a candidate unapologetic about representing Southern Arizona looked like, Grijalva expressed her wishes. “When you’re looking at bills that are coming through [Congress], you get a lot of pressure from people that say this is really going to help my community. We must stand up for our values,” Grijalva said.
During her speech, Grijalva described her family’s experience living the American dream. One individual asked Grijalva if this dream is still alive. “I have hope that it’s alive, because I want my children to have access to these opportunities. And look at me: I am a Latina from South Tucson, went through all public schools, do not have the pedigree to be in the position that I’m in and I’m here because I’ve been invested in by the community. The fact that I’m here now gives me so much hope,” Grijalva said.
Rahel Hehn, president of the Arizona College Democrats, said she was glad to support Grijalva because the candidate would advocate for Southern Arizona on affordability and cost of living, which resonates with many students.
Hehn reflected on the UA chapter of College Democrats’ goals for the year, from registering new precinct committee members to getting more youth involved in voting. “Politics is rough. You go on your phone and see all the bad news […]. I don’t blame students. I’m one of those students. But I know that just one little bit of work I do could push someone else or push a policy that could help thousands of people. No one said it was going to be easy,” Hehn said.
In the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week and amid rising political violence, Hehn reflected on the current culture at the UA. “I don’t care what you label yourself. I want to work with people who want to work for the same values […] that’s the bottom line. Times are tense. I would encourage people to take a deep breath, reflect on what you really value and what you want to see […] and move forward,” Hehn said.
When asked if she could see an event in the future with the UA College Republicans chapter, Hehn said, “I would love to work with them. I think there’s a lot of civil discourse […] a lot of hate in the world right now, and I think coming together and sharing with your community that college students want to work toward a better future is always welcome.”
