TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Adelita Grijalva won Congressional District 7 this week but is feeling some suspense over when she’ll be sworn in and whether that will be delayed in a way that will keep her from making some important votes.
Republicans hold the House majority by just a few seats so every vote counts. Adelita Grijalva’s election makes the margin tighter by adding a vote for the Democrats. But there’s a question of when she’ll be sworn in and able to start using that vote.
Adelita Grijalva won with more than 68 percent of the vote but she’s not officially a member of Congress until she’s sworn in.
That could be October 7th, the next day the House is back in session. But it could slip to October 14th or later if House Speaker Mike Johnson waits for an official vote certification from Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.
Waiting could keep Grijalva sidelined—-unable to vote on some issues where one vote could make all the difference.
“I think that maybe it has to do with the fact that I am the 218th signer to push for a vote on the release of the Epstein files. And, you know, I don't know. So there's a lot of questions. I plan on going to Washington on Monday with to caucus with other Democrats. Leader Jeffries has asked us to be there, and so I am going, even though I have no official capacity there yet, it is very clear I won this election by nearly 40 points.”
Grijalva says when Virginia Democrat James Walkinshaw won a special election to Congress a few weeks ago he was sworn in without having to wait for the full certification.
When we asked the Speaker’s office what the Speaker will do we got this statement:
“As is standard practice, with the House now having received the appropriate paperwork from the state, the Speaker’s Office intends to schedule a swearing in for the Representative-elect when the House returns to session.”
So what appropriate paperwork are they talking about? The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office says the only thing they sent is a letter to the House Clerk. It says unofficial results show Adelita Grijalva the clear winner. But there are no official results until October 14th.
“Returns to session” could mean October 7th but we need to see that on the House Calendar.
