Democrat Jerry Connolly dies after fighting esophageal cancer
Rep. Jerry Connolly, 75, died after his battle with esophageal cancer and was remembered by his family for his advocacy, defence of democracy and serving in Congress.
Scripps News
Voters in southern Arizona will have a good sense of who will succeed in Rep. Raul Griarba, one of the three septal Democrats who have passed away while serving in Congress since the beginning of this year.
Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican primary comes two months before the special election on September 23rd. However, at the deep blue base, anyone who appears among the handful of candidates on the left has a general advantage.
Adelita Griarba, the daughter of the late Congressman and a former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, is a major competitor in the Democratic nomination, which has become a microcosm of the ongoing national debate about the party’s future.
The Arizona mix also features a more moderate former intern from former Congressman Gabby Giffords and a Gen-Z social media savant.
On the Republican side, the three candidates will face off in the hopes of beating more than 20 years of precedent.
Grijalva, the prime minister of environmental affairs and a lawmaker for over 20 years, passed away at the age of 77 in March after a fight against lung cancer.
The special election to fill his seat is one of three held this year to fill the vacancy of homes prompted by the deaths of Congressional officials, all Democrats.
Grillarva’s daughter leads a three-way democratic contest
54-year-old Adelita Grijalva is a predictable frontrunner leading up to a limited vote in special elections.
Taking up his father’s progressive mantle, Griarba said in a discussion on June 10th that his inauguration was “a legacy that shaped me.”
Her campaign has attracted a large number of support from prominent groups and figures both inside and outside the state, including both Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Reuben Gallego.
Her main competitors include Daniel Hernandez, 35, a former state legislator who worked at Gifford for a week when gunmen fired fire at a Tucson Constitutional Chair event in 2011.
The race in Arizona is a three-way contest between Hernandez, Grillarva and the popular social media strategist and activist, 25-year-old Deja Fox.
Grijalva has support from political groups (and Hernandez has his own support from lawmakers like New York State Rep. Ritchie Torres), while Foxx has garnered support from several democratic disruptors who are seeking major changes to the party.
David Hogg is a Democratic activist and former co-director, and a leader we deserve, his political group, and supports FOXX’s grassroots campaign.
The main Democratic winners have an advantage
Tuesday’s Democratic primary will be a good indication of who will ultimately win the seat and provide insight into voters’ hopes for the party.
Given the historically liberal trends of District 7, which Democrats will be the main position to win in September.
Three Republicans – Daniel Butierrez, Jimmy Rodriguez and Jorge Rivas, hope they are against the long-standing local tradition of Democrats going. Everything is a businessman with a faint political resume.
Winners of the July 15 Republican primary, regardless of their opponent, face a sudden general election battle.
House Democrats aid
Congressional Democrats are relying on Democrats to win in southern Arizona.
The outcome of this special election will help them tighten the House margins and put extra pressure on Republicans who are already working with a narrow majority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s local tightrope walk was evident in early July during the passage of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax, spending and policy laws.
In a July 4th campaign video, the day Trump signed the bill, FOXX, one of the trio of Democratic candidates in Arizona, said the Republicans won.
Grillarva’s death comes a week after former Congressman Sylvester Turner D-Texas died at the age of 70.
A special election to replace Connolly will take place in northern Virginia on September 9th. The 18th Congressional District of Texas in the Houston area will select Turner’s successor on November 4th.
