Over the weekend, Adelita Grijalva delivered a rally speech that hinted at her intent to run for her late father’s congressional seat.
Grijalva, a Pima County supervisor, spoke on Saturday at the Tucson rally within the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” alongside New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
“Are we going to stand by silently while the billionaire boys club who bought this last election rolls over our rights? No way. This broligarchy has got to go,” said Grijalva. “I realized there is no better way to honor my dad than to add my voice to this event. I want to join his friends who also fight for those who have no voice, can always be counted on to speak truth to power, and show us what is possible when we stand up for justice, equity, and dignity for all. We have way too many politicians when we need more public servants. We need people less concerned about being reelected and more concerned about protecting the people.”
Grijalva encouraged the crowd in a chant to “fight back” against the Trump administration “attacks” on education, healthcare, environment, and democracy.
The Fighting Oligarchy Tour was developed by the Sanders campaign. The tour made stops in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin to disseminate criticisms of President Donald Trump and perpetuate the idea that the current government constitutes an oligarchy.
Like AOC and Sanders, Grijalva’s political record reflects a consistent dedication to the further left crowds within the Democratic Party. It was Grijalva and fellow supervisor Rex Scott who concocted the Pima County ordinance fining residents who fail to report lost or stolen firearms within two days. A state court judge struck down the ordinance last month.
It was also Grijalva who led reinstatement of the countywide mask mandate in 2021.
Last September around the time of the second assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, Grijalva incensed the community after she posted a picture telling Trump supporters to “f**k” themselves in Spanish: “Chinga Tu Maga.”
In 2022, Grijalva pushed for the county board of supervisors to commence their meetings with a “Land Acknowledgement” statement.
Grijalva expressed an interest in running for her father’s seat publicly, as did Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. Grijalva said she would make an official announcement on her candidacy following her father’s funeral on Wednesday. Fontes’ senior advisor told the media that Fontes was “seriously considering” running.
One highly-speculated candidate, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, announced on Facebook the day after the late Grijalva’s passing that she would not be running.
“I know that serving as Mayor of Tucson is a distinct honor in these challenging times and is the best way for me to continue our work on behalf of Tucsonans,” said Romero.
As of this writing, 18 individuals have filed statements of interest in the race: Democrats Samuel Alegria, David Bies, Trista di Genova, Patrick Harris Sr., Victor Longoria, Samantha Severson, Scott Sheldon, and Stefawma Welch; Republicans Daniel Francis Butierez Sr., William Hunter III, Carolyn Norris, Michael Rebeiro, Jorge Rivas, Gabriel Tapia, Raul Verdugo, and Joe Wells; Libertarian Alan Aversa; and Green candidate Richard Grayson.
Former Arizona State Representative Daniel Hernandez, a Democrat, is expected to announce his entrance into the race on Monday.
The late Congressman Raul Grijalva passed from cancer treatment complications earlier this month, a little under a year after his initial diagnosis.
The special election to fill the late Grijalva’s seat is scheduled for September.
