TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN). — Voters in Congressional District 7 are casting ballots today in a special general election to fill the seat left vacant after Rep. Raul Grijalva passed away in March.
While this special election won't shift control of the U.S. House, it comes at a time when the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans remains narrow.
Republican nominee Daniel Butierez, a small business owner, is making another run after losing to Grijalva by about 72,000 votes last November. Butierez believes his background outside of politics gives him a unique edge.
“It's a pretty sad state of affairs when we gotta scare the voters into voting for us. I don't wanna scare anybody into voting for me. I want you to see where we're at and give me a chance to fix it. I only got 10 months,” Butierrez explains.
Democratic nominee Adelita Grijalva, the congressman’s daughter, is also vying for the seat. She previously served on the Tucson Unified School District Board and the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
“Our immigrant communities, our DACA students. I mean there's so many Uh, people and groups in every single one of our communities across the nation that are feeling very scapegoated and victimized and so for me I think it's important to be a strong advocate for those communities,” she said.
Whoever wins will serve out the remainder of Raul Grijalva’s term, which is about 10 months. Grijalva represented this stretch of southern Arizona since 2003, so no matter the outcome, the district will see a shift in leadership.
Polling locations open on Tuesday at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Early ballots can be dropped off at any voting center in the district, according to the Pima County Recorder’s Office. Voters can check site wait times and locations online, with 59 voting centers available.
Congressional District 7 includes the western third of Tucson, most of Pima County, all of Santa Cruz County, and portions of Cochise and Maricopa counties. The district stretches across hundreds of miles of Arizona’s southern border.
If the race is decided by a margin of 0.5% or less, an automatic recount will be triggered under Arizona law.
No Republican has ever held this seat since the district was created, but voters will now determine who carries its legacy forward, at least for the remainder of the term.
