For the more than 800,000 residents of Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District, the past several months have been a rollercoaster of loss, uncertainty, and—finally—historic change. When longtime Representative Raúl Grijalva passed away from cancer in March 2025 after 22 years of service, his daughter, Adelita Grijalva, stepped into the spotlight, winning a landslide special election on September 23. But what should have been a smooth transition was anything but, as a record-breaking 50-day delay kept Grijalva from assuming office, leaving her district without a voice in Congress during the nation’s longest-ever federal government shutdown.
On November 12, 2025, that standoff finally ended. Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat, was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for District 7, becoming the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress. The ceremony, held in Washington and presided over by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), marked the end of a saga that many in southern Arizona found both painful and infuriating. According to The Copper Courier, Grijalva’s swearing-in restored critical representation and constituent services to the 812,000 Arizonans who had been left in limbo since her father’s passing.
Grijalva’s journey to Congress is as much about family legacy as it is about breaking barriers. As she reflected in her first address from the House floor, “I rise today, the proud granddaughter of a bracero – a hard-working Mexican immigrant who came to this country with hope for a better life… And I stand as the proud daughter of a U.S. Congressman – a man who spent his entire life fighting for justice, equity, and dignity for the most vulnerable. From working as a vaquero to serving in Congress in just a single generation – that is the promise of this country.” (Rep. Adelita Grijalva)
But the promise of democracy, Grijalva argued, was sorely tested by the events that followed her election. The delay in her swearing-in—seven weeks in total—was unprecedented in modern congressional history. The timing could hardly have been worse: the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025, and remained closed for 43 days, the longest such shutdown in U.S. history. For southern Arizona’s residents, this meant not just a lack of representation in Congress, but a loss of access to vital constituent services at a time when federal agencies were already crippled by reduced staffing and widespread disruptions.
Constituent services—everything from helping veterans access benefits to assisting with Social Security claims and immigration processes—are often a lifeline for the most vulnerable. As The Copper Courier reported, Grijalva’s office staff had continued to provide these services after her father’s death, but the pipeline was severed after her election win. Without access to her office’s phone lines or federal systems, Grijalva was cut off from the very people she had been elected to serve. “People in our community know what it’s like to depend on a Grijalva, and for us to not have that representation was painful,” she said at a Nov. 12 news conference with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The root of the holdup, Grijalva and her supporters argued, was political. House Speaker Mike Johnson repeatedly postponed her swearing-in, initially citing the government shutdown as a reason for delay. But Grijalva pointed out that earlier in 2025, the House had sworn in two Republicans and one Democrat within 24 hours of their elections—even before results were certified, and during pro forma sessions when no legislative business was conducted. “If I were Republican, I would not have waited this long. If I were a man, I would not have waited this long. We all know that the rules are always different for women of color and people of color,” Grijalva told reporters.
She went further, calling the delay “unprecedented, un-American, undemocratic, and never should have happened.” In her debut on the House floor, Grijalva declared, “This is an abuse of power. One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing-in of a duly elected member of Congress for political reasons… Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice.”
Adding to the sense of frustration, Grijalva revealed that Speaker Johnson never communicated directly with her about the ceremony. Instead, she learned she would be sworn in through media reports and Democratic leadership. “Adding insult to injury is when Speaker Johnson would placate and make misogynistic comments about what I should and should not be doing,” she said.
With her swearing-in finally complete, Grijalva wasted no time in making her mark. As soon as she finished her first House speech, she signed a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing all federal files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Her signature was the 218th—just enough to clear the threshold and bypass Republican leadership’s attempts to keep the documents out of public view. Survivors Liz Stein and Jessica Michaels were present in the House gallery as Grijalva took this stand. “Our democracy only works when everyone has a voice. This includes the millions of people across the country who have experienced violence and exploitation—including Liz Stein and Jessica Michaels, both survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse,” Grijalva said.
She also announced plans to sign additional discharge petitions, including efforts to protect Medicaid and SNAP benefits, end the use of national emergency authority for imposing tariffs, and support Ukraine. Grijalva’s swift action signaled her intent to not only represent her district but to challenge what she sees as abuses of power at the highest levels of government. “What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority in this body has failed to do: hold Trump accountable as the coequal branch of government that we are,” she said.
Grijalva’s election and swearing-in are historic on multiple fronts. As the first Latina—and specifically, the first Chicana—to represent Arizona in Congress, she sees her victory as a milestone for her community. “Este momento es histórico para nuestra comunidad. Es un honor ser la primera latina en representar Arizona en el Congreso, y les aseguro que aunque soy la primera, no seré la última,” she said in Spanish on the House floor, assuring her constituents that she will not be the last.
Looking ahead, Grijalva has pledged to sponsor legislation to prevent any future delays in swearing in duly elected officials. “It has been fifty days since the people of Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District elected me to represent them. Fifty days that over 800,000 Arizonans have been left without access to the basic services that every constituent deserves. This is an abuse of power. One individual should not be able to unilaterally obstruct the swearing-in of a duly elected Member of Congress for political reasons,” she stated.
For southern Arizona, the return of representation in Congress is more than just a procedural victory—it’s a restoration of a vital civic link. And for Adelita Grijalva, it’s the beginning of a new chapter, one shaped by family legacy, community resilience, and a determination to ensure that every voice is heard, no matter how long the wait.
