Arizona Republicans choose nominee to replace late rep in deep-blue border district

Arizona Republicans nominated contractor and small business owner Daniel Butierez in the special primary election to represent Arizona’s 7th congressional district on Tuesday night. 

Because the district spans hundreds of miles along the U.S. border with Mexico, all three Republican candidates made border security a central issue in their campaigns and vowed to carry out President Donald Trump’s robust crackdown on illegal immigration. 

The Republican nominee will challenge the Democrat’s Tuesday night winner, former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, in the race to replace her father, the late Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, this November. 

Grijalva died of lung cancer-related complications in March. His more than two decades representing Arizona in the House of Representatives made him one of the state’s longest-serving U.S. representatives. 

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His vacancy queued up a competitive Democratic primary, including his daughter, who had endorsements from prominent Democrats, such as Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

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Also competing in the Democratic primary was social media influencer and progressive activist Deja Foxx, who picked up an endorsement from Leaders We Deserve, David Hogg’s super PAC that stirred up intraparty fighting this year when the former DNC vice chair unveiled his plan to spend $20 million to primary older incumbent Democrats in safe blue districts. 

Former Arizona representative Daniel Hernandez, progressive businessman Patrick Harris Sr. and environmental justice scholar José Malvido Jr., also vied for the Democratic endorsement. 

In a reliably blue district along the U.S. border with Mexico, representing parts of Tuscon, Yuma and Nogales, Butierez is likely to face an uphill battle in the special election this September. 

Grijalva won his re-election by 27 points in 2024, despite Trump defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris by more than five points statewide in Arizona last year. 

Butierez, a contractor and small business owner, received about 37% of the vote as the Republican nominee against Grijalva in 2024. Running again in the special election this year, he has vowed to “fight to keep our border secure, slash taxes where appropriate, and crush the fentanyl crisis destroying Arizona families.”

Also competing in the Republican primary was Jorge Rivas, a Salvadoran-born restaurant owner based in Tucson. 

Rivas picked up national attention when Trump tweeted a photo of him wearing a “Latinos Love Trump” cowboy hat at a rally in Phoenix during the 2020 presidential election, according to KAWC. He briefly launched a gubernatorial bid in 2022. 

Finally, general contractor and business owner Jimmy Rodriguez ran with a mission “to secure our borders, boost our economy, and empower families across CD7.”