The Special General Election for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District is set to take place on Sept. 23. The election will fill the vacancy of the United States Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March.
Adelita Grijalva – Democrat
Adelita Grijalva is the Democratic candidate, winning the Democratic primary with more than 60% of the votes. Various Democratic representatives in Congress endorse Adelita Grijalva for this special election. Adelita Grijalva is the daughter of Rep. Raúl Grijalva and she plans to continue her fathers legacy in Congress.
Adelita Grijalva lives in Tucson and has over 20 years of public office experience, serving on the Tucson Unified School District from 2002–2022 and as an elected member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors as a representative for District 5 from 2020 to this year.
Many of her policy positions align with many other Democrats in Congress, including immigrant rights, public education funding, climate change and poverty.
Adelita Grijalva’s position on immigration involves taking legislative action to reform the legal pathways to citizenship and to inform immigrants of their rights on a local level.
“Work with local entities to protect our community from unlawful executive actions, including raids in sensitive areas and attacks against ‘sanctuary cities.’ Conduct outreach to make sure immigrants in our community know-their-rights,” Grijalva wrote on her campaign website in regards to her priorities.
Daniel Butierez – Republican
Daniel Butierez is the Republican candidate after winning the Republican primary with 60 % of the votes.
Butierez made his political debut in 2024 when he ran against Rep. Raúl Grijalva in the CD7 election. Butierez owns two small businesses and employs former drug addicts coming out of prison.
Butierez’s policy positions include securing the border, tax cuts, fighting crime and addressing drug abuse and homelessness in Arizona.
“If you want to clean up our district, reduce crime, reduce taxes, improve education, secure our border, get our homeless on the path getting on their feet and drug addicts off of drugs vote for Butierez For Congress!” Butierez’s campaign site read.
Butierez also emphasizes protection of rights and proper due process in his campaign after he claimed he was falsely imprisoned, which a judge later vacated that conviction in 2019.
Eduardo Quintana – Green Party
Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana is on the ballot after earning 42 write-in votes in the Special Green primary election.
Quintana is a chairperson of the Green Party of Pima County and the co-founder of Tucsonans for a Clean Environment. Quintana is endorsed by the Green Party of Pima County.
Quintana’s campaign is centered around protecting the environment in southern Arizona, supporting Palestine, reducing the cost of living and expanding workers rights.
“My vision is rooted in social justice, environmental sustainability, and grassroots democracy. I am committed to challenging the status quo and to bringing real solutions to the communities of CD 7,” Quintana said on his official campaign website.
Richard Grayson – No Lines Party
No Lines Party Candidate Richard Grayson is on the ballot through write-in after earning one vote.
Grayson believes in reducing student debt, affordable housing and combating climate change.
“If a congressperson truly wants to help, they must stop offering platitudes and start passing legislation: cancel or dramatically reduce student debt, invest in affordable housing, guarantee healthcare as a right, confront climate change with bold action and rein in predatory tech practices,” Grayson said in an official statement.
