Rep. Adelita Grijalva won a special election Sept. 23, 2025, to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, succeeding her late father, Raúl Grijalva. She defeated Republican Daniel Butierez and was certified as the winner, though her swearing-in was delayed, officials said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed the swearing-in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva for seven weeks following her special election victory on Sept. 23, 2025, citing the ongoing federal government shutdown as the reason, officials said.
The delay, which lasted 50 days and was the longest in congressional history, prevented Grijalva from taking her seat until Nov. 12, 2025, when the House voted to end the shutdown and Johnson administered the oath of office, according to congressional records and media reports.
Grijalva, a Democrat, defeated Republican Daniel Butierez in the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the death of her father, longtime U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March 2025 from complications related to lung cancer treatments. Although her election was certified promptly by Arizona officials, Johnson kept the House in recess from Sept. 19 through Nov. 12, effectively blocking Grijalva’s swearing-in, congressional sources confirmed. Democrats criticized the delay as a denial of representation for the district’s 813,000 constituents, and the Arizona attorney general filed a lawsuit challenging the postponement, state officials said.
Grijalva herself called the delay an injustice and highlighted the impact on her constituents, citing disruptions to veterans’ benefits, furloughs of federal workers, delays in Social Security and immigration services, and interruptions to SNAP food assistance programs. “This was a campaign of cruelty unlike any previous shutdown,” she said in interviews following her swearing-in. Grijalva also noted that Speaker Johnson had sworn in three other members within 24 hours of their elections, undermining the stated reason for withholding her oath, according to statements she made on Democracy Now and other media outlets.
Once sworn in on Nov. 12, Grijalva became the 218th signature on a discharge petition aimed at compelling the Department of Justice to release Jeffrey Epstein files. The petition sought to force the public disclosure of documents related to Epstein amid ongoing investigations and political controversy. Grijalva pledged during her campaign to provide the final signature needed to move the petition forward. Observers and Grijalva herself suggested the delay was a strategic move to prevent her from signing the petition and creating a politically difficult situation for former President Donald Trump, as reported by multiple news outlets.
Grijalva’s first act on the House floor was to deliver a speech expressing frustration, anger, happiness, and sadness after 50 days without a budget or staff support. The speech was broadcast live on MSNBC and underscored her determination to represent southern Arizona despite the obstacles. Her swearing-in also marked a historic milestone, as she became the first Arizona Latina elected to Congress, according to state political analysts.
Before her election to Congress, Grijalva served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors for District 5 from 2021 to 2025 and was a longtime member of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, where she was first elected in 2002 at age 31, making her the youngest woman to hold that office. During her tenure on the school board, she was recognized with the Advocate of the Year award in 2008 by the Arizona School Counselors Association for her efforts to maintain school counselors. She notably opposed the 2012 decision to shut down Mexican American Studies classes and was the sole board member to vote against firing the co-founder and director of the program.
Grijalva’s late father, Raúl Grijalva, represented Arizona’s 7th Congressional District for over two decades before his death in March 2025. She has cited his legacy as an inspiration and has spoken about continuing his work in interviews since taking office. The discharge petition she signed requires further action in the Republican-majority Senate before the Epstein files can be released, according to legal experts.
As of mid-November 2025, Grijalva has begun her congressional duties with full voting rights and committee assignments, sources said, representing Arizona’s 7th district in the 119th Congress.
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