Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Maria Villarroel

Adelita Grijalva Beats Gen Z Candidate In Arizona Special Elections Primary, On Track to Replace Her Late Father

Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic primary Tuesday to represent Arizona's 7th District, becoming the favorite to replace her father, the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, in Congress. (Credit: Getty Images)

Adelita Grijalva is set to win the Democratic primary to represent Arizona's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representative, becoming the favorite to replace her father, the late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, in Congress.

Grijalva, long viewed as the frontrunner in the five-way race, easily won an energetic challenge from Gen Z activist Deja Foxx with about 62% of the vote, according to The Associated Press. Foxx won 19% of the vote and former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez had 14%.

"This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago," Grijalva said following the results.

By winning the primary, Grijalva, a former county supervisor, will become the favorite to represent Arizona's 7th District, an overwhelmingly Democratic region in the state that includes Tucson and most of the state's southern border with Mexico. The general elections are scheduled for Sept. 23.

During the campaign, Grijalva pushed back on her opponents' efforts to frame her as the establishment candidate, saying that she applied for and earned endorsements from various groups and has her own record of advocacy work, including running diversion programs while working at Pima County's Teen Court, CNN reports.

"We didn't get distracted by the noise or national headlines," she said in a press statement. "We kept our heads down, did the work, and delivered a message rooted not just in fighting back against a dangerous and tyrannical administration— but in fighting for something: for our democracy, for the dignity of working people, and for the values that truly define Southern Arizona."

The 7th District has been without a representative since March, when Raul Grijalva, Adelita's father, passed away due to complications from cancer treatments. The late congressman and former Congressional Progressive Caucus chairman was first elected to the House in 2002.

Adelita served for two decades on the Tucson Unified School District Board and spent four years on the Pima County Board of Supervisors. She touted her progressive credentials on the campaign trail and ran with the backing of prominent Democrats like U.S. Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, more than two dozen U.S. House members— including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez— various labor groups, and scores of state and local officials in Arizona.

Following the primary victory, Grijalva will face Republican nominee Daniel Butierez in the general election in Sept.

© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.