Adelita Grijalva
Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives - District 7
Arizona · Congressional District 7
Adelita Grijalva won the primary and is the party's nominee for the general election. Ran unopposed in the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary, receiving 59,304 votes. Faces Republican nominee Daniel Butierez Sr. in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Source: adelitaforcongress.com · Last verified: October 23, 2026
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Statement
Adelita Grijalva is a lifelong public servant, advocate, and resident of Southern Arizona. A graduate of Pueblo High School and the University of Arizona, she began her 25-year career working at the Pima County Teen Court helping court-involved youth through a restorative juvenile diversion program. Adelita was first elected to public office in 2002, serving on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, where she championed the expansion of preschool access and defended Mexican-American Studies. In 2020, Adelita was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, representing District 5. She became the first Latina and only the second woman to serve as Chair, and was re-elected in 2024 with over 73% of the vote. As a Supervisor, she prioritized affordable housing, climate resiliency, and community wellness, launching the county’s first free preschool program for low-income families and protecting open spaces in the Sonoran Desert for future generations to enjoy. In September of 2025, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to fill the remainder of the term of her father, Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva.
Biography
Adelita Shirley Grijalva (born October 30, 1970) is the incumbent U.S. Representative for Arizona's 7th Congressional District, elected in a special election on September 23, 2025, and sworn in that November. She is the daughter of the late Representative Raúl Grijalva, who represented the district from 2003 until his death in 2025. A native Tucsonan, she graduated from Pueblo High School, earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona in 1995, and spent 25 years as director of Pima County Teen Court. She previously served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board (2002–2022) and the Pima County Board of Supervisors (2021–2025). She is the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress. Her 2026 campaign platform emphasizes immigration reform with a pathway to legalization, lowering costs, Colorado River water protections, clean energy, and protecting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. She debated Republican Daniel Butierez Sr. at an Aug. 26, 2026 Citizens Clean Elections Commission debate. She ran unopposed in the July 21, 2026 Democratic primary and faces Butierez, whom she also defeated in the 2025 special election, in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Past offices held
Positions
Issue Stances
Water Policy
SupportsSupports protecting Arizona's Colorado River supply, agriculture and Tribal water rights, and opposes Colorado River proposals that would place most long-term cuts on Arizona.
"Opposes proposals that place the vast majority of long-term water cuts on Arizona."
Education Funding
SupportsOpposes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education and supports federal funding for public schools, a national minimum salary for first-year teachers, and accountability for private and charter schools.
"Opposes dismantling the Department of Education and supports rebuilding and properly funding it."
Border Security & Immigration
OpposesSupports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to legalization and protections for DACA recipients, and has sponsored bills to end mandatory and family detention and phase out private detention facilities. Her campaign opposes what it calls wasteful border militarization.
"Will continue holding officials and ICE officers accountable and push for comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to legalization."
Housing Affordability
SupportsSupports expanding housing supply and Section 8, down-payment assistance for first-generation homebuyers, and restrictions on large institutional investors buying homes.
"Supports stronger restrictions on large institutional investors buying neighborhoods and driving up home prices."
Election Integrity
No official stance on record.
Healthcare Access
SupportsSupports protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act and premium assistance, restoring federal Medicaid funding, and lowering prescription drug costs.
"Supports lowering prescription drug costs and protecting existing provisions that reduce medication expenses."
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
No official stance on record.
Energy Policy
SupportsSupports clean-energy incentives for households, investment in solar, wind and battery projects, and royalties on minerals extracted from public lands.
"Supports clean-energy incentives for Arizona households and streamlined development of clean-energy projects."
Economic Development & Jobs
SupportsSupports raising the federal minimum wage to an initial $17 under the Raise the Wage Act, the PRO Act and workers' right to unionize, and opposes tariffs she says raise costs for small businesses.
"Lower costs, raise wages, and put more money in the pockets of working Arizona families."
Reproductive Rights
SupportsSupports reproductive freedom, including access to medication abortion and contraceptives.
"Supports reproductive freedom and access to medication abortion and contraceptives"
Transportation & Infrastructure
No official stance on record.
Government Spending & Taxation
SupportsSupports increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit while asking the wealthy to pay more, and backs corporate tax reforms that discourage outsourcing.
"Supports corporate tax reforms that discourage outsourcing jobs and profits overseas."
Legislature
Legislative Voting Record
| Bill / Motion | Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act | May 22, 2025 | No |
Ballot
Ballot Measure Stances
No ballot measure stances on file yet.
Coverage