The House Republicans' narrow majority could shrink after a special election in Arizona.
The Democratic candidate, the daughter of the late congressman Raul Grijalva, is expected to easily win Tuesday night's race for his former seat, Fox News reports.
Adelita Grijalva is a former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where her father once served as chair. Her Republican competitor, businessman Daniel Butierez, lost in a landslide against the late Rep. Grijalva in 2024.
The winner of Tuesday's race will serve out the remaining 15 months of Raul Grijalva's term.
Grijalva was a strident liberal during his 22 years in Congress, and his daughter is likely to continue that legacy. She easily won the Democratic primary, boosted by name recognition and endorsements from the far-left figures like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Ny.)
Immigration is a top issue in Arizona's majority-Hispanic 7th district, which borders Mexico.
Like her late father, Grijalva has pledged to protect the rights of immigrants, both illegal and legal.
She supports a path to citizenship for illegal aliens and is furiously opposed to Trump's mass deportations. Butierez supports immigration enforcement although he agrees reform is needed, the Center Square reports.
“The rules are not changing. The laws are being enforced,” Butierez said during a debate last month. “The ICE agents are doing what the law requires them to do, not what the administration is requiring them to do.”
If elected, Grijalva would provide Democrats with the numbers needed to force a vote on the Jeffrey Epstein files. The effort is being backed by a handful of Republicans, including Thomas Massie (R-Ky.)
Republicans currently have a 219-213 majority. Three seats are vacant - two Democratic, one Republican.
While upsets are always possible, Arizona's 7th congressional district is solidly Democratic. The district has been vacant since March, when Raul Grijalva died from cancer treatment complications at age 77.
Grijalva was one of the three House Democrats to die in office this year, expanding the GOP's thin margins and sparking a debate about the age of lawmakers in Washington D.C.
There is still one other vacancy left in a Democrat-leaning district. Texas' 18th opened up after the death of Rep. Sylvester Turner, who passed away days before Grijalva.
Republicans are expected to fill a heavily Republican district in Tennessee after the resignation of Mark Green. That race is on December 2.
