Arizona’s 7th Congressional District made history this week, sending Adelita Grijalva to Washington after a decisive special election victory that’s already shaking up the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives. Grijalva, a progressive Democrat and the daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, not only becomes Arizona’s first Latina congresswoman but also brings fresh momentum to a series of political battles that have gripped Capitol Hill, from the fate of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files to the future of the Republican legislative agenda under Speaker Mike Johnson.
Grijalva’s win on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, was called by The Associated Press and confirmed by multiple outlets, including Truthout and The Washington Post. She defeated Republican Daniel Butierez by a landslide, capturing 68.5 percent of the vote with 87 percent of ballots counted, compared to Butierez’s 29.8 percent. The result was hardly a surprise in the heavily Democratic district, where Vice President Kamala Harris won by double digits in the 2024 presidential election. According to Truthout, Grijalva, a former Pima County supervisor and Tucson school board member, raised significantly more funds than her opponent, giving her campaign a notable edge.
But the implications of her victory reach far beyond Arizona. Once sworn in, Grijalva will give Democrats 214 seats in the House, while Republicans will hold 219—with two seats still vacant. This narrows the already razor-thin GOP majority, making every vote count even more as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tries to push through legislation aligned with President Donald Trump’s agenda. As reported by The Associated Press, “Republicans can ill-afford to lose any votes from within the party if they hope to pass Trump-approved legislation.”
Perhaps most immediately, Grijalva’s arrival in Congress is expected to tip the scales on a hotly debated issue: the release of unclassified files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. For months, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has been pressing for a vote to force the Justice Department to make the files public. According to The Washington Post, Grijalva is likely to become the 218th member of Congress to sign a so-called discharge petition, which would compel a House vote on the matter even without the Speaker’s approval.
This discharge petition has been led by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and has been described by Speaker Johnson as “superfluous.” Earlier this month, Johnson declined to schedule a vote on the issue, predicting that a call for the documents’ release would not succeed. However, with Grijalva’s support, the petition now has the crucial number of backers needed to move forward. As Truthout explains, “lawmakers in the chamber can now file a discharge petition, allowing them to put a bill up for a vote without prior approval from the speaker.”
In her victory speech, Grijalva made her priorities clear, vowing to act swiftly on the Epstein files. “More than 50 years ago, my dad started a movement based on dignity and equity for all. Fifty years later, that movement is alive,” she told supporters, as quoted by Truthout. Grijalva then pledged, “We reject the MAGA agenda and we will hold this administration accountable.” She specifically promised to push for a vote on releasing the Epstein files on her first day in office.
The Epstein case continues to cast a long shadow over American politics. Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, has been the subject of persistent rumors and conspiracy theories regarding his connections to powerful figures. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll from July 2025, 69 percent of Americans believe the federal government is withholding important facts about Epstein and his associates. Only 6 percent said they didn’t believe such facts were being kept secret, while another 25 percent were unsure.
Speaker Johnson, for his part, has consistently defended President Trump’s position on the Epstein files. At one point, Johnson even claimed that Trump was an FBI informant in the Epstein case—a statement he later walked back, clarifying that Trump had merely cooperated with the FBI. Johnson’s steadfast alignment with Trump has drawn criticism from Democrats and some Republicans alike, especially as calls for transparency in the Epstein case have grown louder across party lines.
Despite the drama, the path forward for the discharge petition is far from certain. Even if the House votes to require the Justice Department to release the files, the bill would still need to pass the Senate and be signed by President Trump to become law—an outcome that many observers, including The Associated Press, consider unlikely. Still, the mere prospect of a House vote is seen as a political embarrassment for Johnson, who has worked hard to shield Trump from scrutiny over his past association with Epstein.
Grijalva’s campaign was built on a progressive platform, emphasizing affordable housing, workers’ rights, expanded financial assistance for low-income families, and resistance to President Trump’s economic policies. She drew endorsements from some of the most prominent progressives in Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. According to her campaign website, Grijalva positioned herself as a champion for working families and a staunch opponent of what she called the “MAGA agenda.”
Her victory is also deeply personal. She steps into the seat left vacant by her father, Raúl Grijalva, who passed away in March 2025 due to lung cancer complications. In honoring his legacy, she told supporters, “More than 50 years ago, my dad started a movement based on dignity and equity for all. Fifty years later, that movement is alive.” As the first Latina congresswoman to represent Arizona in Washington, Grijalva’s win marks a significant milestone for representation in the state’s political history.
The special election in Arizona follows a similar Democratic win in Virginia, where James Walkinshaw recently secured a seat left open by the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly. Two more special elections are on the horizon: Texas will hold its vote on November 4, 2025, to replace Rep. Sylvester Turner, and Tennessee will hold a special election on December 2, 2025, to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Mark Green’s resignation. These races will further shape the balance of power in the House as both parties jockey for control ahead of the 2026 midterms.
As Grijalva prepares to take her oath of office, all eyes are on the House to see whether her presence will be the catalyst for long-awaited action on the Epstein files—and whether Speaker Johnson can maintain his grip on a fractious Republican caucus. The nation, it seems, is watching and waiting for the next chapter to unfold.