Five candidates are running in the special Democratic primary for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District on July 15, 2025. Deja Foxx (D), Adelita Grijalva (D), and Daniel Hernandez Jr. (D) lead in fundraising, endorsements, and media attention. The special election will fill the vacancy left by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died on March 13, 2025.

The Arizona Capitol Times’ Reagan Priest wrote, “​​The outcome of the primary in the deep blue district will demonstrate to the party’s top brass what kind of candidate Democratic voters are looking for and the issues they want that candidate to focus on.”

According to Axios Phoenix’s Jeremy Duda, “The race initially appeared like a two-way contest between Grijalva and Hernandez, but Foxx has gained traction.” Duda wrote that Grijalva “touts herself as a progressive” and Hernandez has “a reputation as a moderate.” Duda also wrote that Foxx “describes herself as the race’s change candidate.”

Foxx is the founder of the organization GenZ Girl Gang. According to the organization’s official website, it “works to foster collaboration between womxn of all ages through mentorship, intergenerational events, and informative posts.” Foxx also works as a content creator.

According to Foxx’s campaign website, “As someone who relied on Medicaid, SNAP, and Section 8 housing while growing up, Deja knows first-hand how critical these programs are to millions of Arizonans. When Trump and his billionaire buddies attempt to line their pockets by gutting Medicaid and essential services that help families get by, Deja will fight back because for her, it’s personal.”

Adelita Grijalva, who is Raúl Grijalva’s daughter, represented District 5 on the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 2021 to 2025. She served as an at-large member of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board from 2003 to 2023. Grijalva previously worked as the director of Pima County Teen Court, a diversion program for teens.

Grijalva said she is running for Congress, “because this community, Southern Arizona, deserves the bold leadership that they’ve had with my dad for the last 22 years. At this time in our nation, we can’t negotiate with a party of extremists, and you need people who are going to stand up for something. I’m going to stand up for Southern Arizona.”

Hernandez represented District 2 in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023. He served as an at-large member of the Sunnyside Unified School District Governing Board from 2011 to 2019. Hernandez previously worked as the associate executive director for the nonprofit Stand for Children.

Hernandez said running for Congress is “an opportunity for me to once again serve the community that raised me and give other people a shot at the American Dream that I got [and] make sure that we’re having somebody who goes to D.C. who can be a voice and an advocate for so many of these programs that are on the chopping block because of the Trump administration and the MAGA extremists that are enabling them in Washington.”

Patrick Harris Sr. and Jose Malvido Jr. are also running in the special Democratic primary.

In April 2025, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office compiled a voter registration report showing that 40% of registered voters in the district identified as Democrats, 21% identified as Republicans, and 39% identified as members of a minor party.

According to Roll Call’s Daniela Altimari “The winner of the Democratic primary will be heavily favored in the Sept. 23 general election.” In the 2024 general election for the district, Raúl Grijalva defeated Daniel Butierez (R) 63% to 37%. Additionally, in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris (D) won 61% of the vote in the district to Donald Trump’s 38%.

As of July 3, 2025, five special elections have been called for the 119th Congress. From the 113th Congress to the 118th Congress, 80 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.