TUCSON, Ariz. — The race for Congressional District 7 is between incumbent and Democratic candidate Raúl Grijalva and Republican challenger Daniel Butierez.
With 66.57% of the vote, the Associated Press called the race for Grijalva.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Raúl Grijalva gana la reelección para el Distrito Congresual 7
Raúl Grijalva (D), incumbent
Raúl Grijalva was born in Tucson and graduated from Sunnyside High School in Tucson, according to his campaign website. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona and began his career in public service as a community organizer in Tucson.
According to his website, he served on the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board from 1974 to 1986, including serving as chairman for six years. In 1988, Grijalva was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors. He served in this position for 15 years and chaired the board for two of those 15 years.
Grijalva was elected as the first House Representative for Arizona's then-newly created district, District 7, in 2002, according to Ballotpedia. He won re-election in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He then ran for the 3rd district instead in 2012, which he won. He then won re-election in District 3 in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020, Ballotpedia reports.
In 2022, he was elected again in District 7, and in the 2024 primary had no opponent.
He currently serves as a ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee and is a standing member of the Education and Labor Committee. He is also a chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, as well as a long-standing member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
According to his campaign website, Grijalva:
- created the Environmental Justice for All Act and under his leadership, the Great American Outdoors Act became law.
- supports improving and expanding Medicare.
- believes Congress should "step up, and increase access to high-quality schools."
- voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act legislation.
12News asked Grijalva to interview on air and he did not respond to our numerous attempts to schedule an interview.
Daniel Butierez (R), challenger
Butierez was born in Tucson and is a contractor who owns two small businesses, according to his campaign website. Butierez said his businesses employ people from halfway houses to "work to help them get on their feet." According to his website, his businesses employed 63 people, "many of whom had just come out of prison struggling with addictions."
Butierez said he keeps rescue horses on property in Marana and he rescued approximately 25 horses and 70 dogs. After a "wrongful conviction," Butierez said he fell into homelessness and drug use, his website said. He eventually was arrested and "did some deep soul searching" before he came to "truly know Christ."
- would like to fund programs for those struggling with addiction.
- supports the Second Amendment.
- supports securing the border.
- wants to reduce crime and taxes.
You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere thanks to the 12News+ app!
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.
Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.
Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for "12 News KPNX."
Amazon Fire TV: Search for "12 News KPNX" to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.
Decision 2024
Track all of our current updates with the upcoming elections in Arizona on our 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe for updates on all of our new uploads.