Adelita Grijalva wins Arizona's 7th, first Latina elected to Congress

Adelita Grijalva won Tuesday’s special election in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District to succeed her late father, Raúl Grijalva, election officials said, a victory that cements her place in Congress and further narrows the Republican majority in the House. The race was called shortly after polls closed, with Grijalva leading by roughly 71 percent to 28 percent; she will serve out the remainder of her father’s term, which runs through the 2026 midterms.

Grijalva, 54, a former Pima County supervisor and longtime Tucson school board member, becomes the first Latina elected to Congress from Arizona. She campaigned as a progressive in the deep-blue district that stretches along the U.S.-Mexico border and into Tucson. Grijalva defeated Republican Daniel Butierez and secured a commanding margin after having won a competitive Democratic primary in July that attracted endorsements from senior state and national Democrats.

One immediate consequence of her victory is its effect on House arithmetic and a high-profile effort to force disclosure of Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Once Grijalva is sworn in, Democrats will hold 214 seats to the Republicans’ 219, with two...