Adelita Grijalva Wins Arizona House Seat in Special Election, Shrinking G.O.P. Majority

Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of a longtime Arizona congressman who died of cancer in March, Raúl Grijalva, won the race to succeed him on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Once she is sworn in, Ms. Grijalva will further narrow the already slim G.O.P. majority in the House, with 219 Republicans to 214 Democrats and two remaining vacancies. That will make the life of Speaker Mike Johnson even more difficult as he seeks to corral recalcitrant Republicans for party-line votes.

Ms. Grijalva, 54, was leading her Republican opponent, Daniel Butierez, by a wide margin when the race was called. She had been expected to easily prevail in Arizona’s heavily Democratic Seventh Congressional District, a southern slice of the state that includes part of deep-blue Tucson. Her ascension to the House was all but assured after she defeated two other Democrats — Daniel Hernandez, a former state legislator, and Deja Foxx, a Gen Z activist — in a competitive primary in July.

Ms. Grijalva’s opponents had criticized her as a “legacy last name” at a time when the Democratic Party needed to embrace fresh voices. But her ability to court the district’s Hispanic voters and her endorsements from top state Democrats showed the enduring strength of the party establishment.

In Washington, her victory could also bolster efforts from Democrats to force a vote directing the Justice Department to release all of its investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender, which President Trump and Republican leaders have opposed. Several Republicans have joined the attempt, but it remains one lawmaker short of the support it needs.

Ms. Grijalva said earlier this week that she would join that effort by signing onto what is known as a discharge petition, a procedural maneuver that would allow House members to circumvent Republican leadership.

“If elected, on my very first day in Congress, I’ll sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” she said in a statement on Monday.

It is unclear when Ms. Grijalva will officially take office. The House is currently not scheduled to be in a session until October, though plans could change as lawmakers work to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Michael Gold contributed reporting.