Special primary election takes place for Arizona congressional seat: Here's what to know

PHOENIX - On July 15, the first of two special elections that will select a replacement for former Congressman Raúl Grijalva in Congress took place in Arizona.

Here's what to know about the election.

Which seat is up for election?

The House seat for the state's 7th Congressional District is up for election.

The backstory:

The special primary election on July 15, along with a special general election that will take place after the primary, was triggered by the death of Raúl Grijalva in March.

Grijalva, who announced his cancer diagnosis in April 2024, died as a result of treatment complications.

Late U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva

Grijalva, the son of a Mexican immigrant, was first elected to the House in 2002. Prior to his time in Congress, Grijalva served in various public offices for decades, including the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

What part of the state does the 7th Congressional District cover?

A map showing Arizona's 7th Congressional District

Arizona's 7th Congressional District, according to a map prepared by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, covers parts of the West Valley, parts of Tucson and parts of Yuma, along with the cities of Gila Bend and Nogales.

When will the special general election take place?

What we know:

Per a proclamation made by Governor Katie Hobbs on March 15, 2025, the special general election for Grijalva's seat will take place on September 23.

Under Arizona law, a special primary and special general election must be called because the vacancy happened within six months of the next general election. Arizona's next general election is set to take place in November 2026.

Who are the candidates for the special primary?

Big picture view:

According to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office website, there are 12 candidates in the primary election.

Of the candidates, six identify as Democrats, while another three identify as Republicans. The other four are write-in candidates, and all are affiliated with third parties.

Democratic Party

Deja Foxx
Adelita Grijalva
Patrick Harris, Sr.
Daniel Hernandez
Jose Malvido, Jr.

Republican Party

Daniel Francis Butierez, Sr.
Jorge Rivas
Jimmy Rodriguez

Libertarian Party

Andy Fernandez (Write-In)

Green Party

Eduardo Quintana (Write-In)
Gary Swing (Write-In)

No Labels

Richard Grayson (Write-In)

Can I register to vote in the special general election?

The deadline to register for the special general election, per the Arizona Secretary of State's website, is 11:59 p.m. on August 25.

How will the primary election work?

Dig deeper:

According to Arizona.vote, only voters who reside within the boundaries of the state's 7th Congressional District will be eligible to vote in the special primary and general election.

For the special primary election, the website states that eligible voters who have registered a political party preference will receive the ballot for their respective party, while registered independents can contact their county recorder to select a Democratic or Republican primary ballot.

Independent voters, according to the website, cannot select a ballot for either the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, or the No Labels Party, as all three parties are conducting closed primaries.

While people can vote by early ballot for this primary, the deadline to request an early ballot has passed. Voters can check their county recorder's office for more information on where and how they can vote in the special primary.

County Election Officials Contact Information - Arizona Secretary of State's Office

https://azsos.gov/elections/about-elections/county-election-contact-info

Have the candidates taken part in debates?

Arizona's Citizens Clean Elections Commission has held two separate debates for the Republican and Democratic candidates in the primary, and they can be watched below.