Adelita Grijalva has won the election in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, defeating 25-year-old activist and social media influencer Deja Foxx.The seat became vacant after the death of longtime Congressman Raúl Grijalva earlier this year following cancer treatment. Adelita Grijalva, 54, is his daughter and has a long history in local politics. She served for two decades on the Tucson school board and has been a Pima County Supervisor since 2020.Grijalva describes herself as a progressive and has said her priorities include defending democracy, supporting immigrant rights and protecting access to Medicaid and Medicare. After her win, she said in a statement: “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 faced strong competition from Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer and activist. Foxx argued that political roles should not be inherited, targeting Grijalva for her “legacy last name”.In response, Grijalva defended her record, saying: “I’m not using my dad’s last name. It’s mine, too. I’ve worked in this community for a very long time – 26 years at a nonprofit, 20 years on the school board, four years and four months on the board of supervisors. I’ve earned my last name too,” as reported by the Guardian.Grijalva won by a large margin, leading Foxx by around 40 percentage points, as reported by AP. She secured strong leads in all seven counties in the district, including Pima County, which includes Tucson and its suburbs.She also received major endorsements from prominent progressives, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, as well as local and state officials.Arizona’s 7th District is heavily Democratic, making Grijalva a favourable candidate to win the general election on September 23. She will face Republican candidate Daniel Butierez.
