Grijalva Urged To Step Down After Missing Key Votes

Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva has not been seen on Capitol Hill and has not voted in this Congressional session, prompting increasing calls for him to resign his seat.

Residents of Congressional District 7 are concerned that their voices are not being heard on important legislation because Grijalva has only appeared to vote on three days since he was re-elected in November 2024.

Notably, Grijalva, a progressive Democrat, was the second House Democrat to publicly urge President Biden to leave the race for President last year, citing Biden’s “precarious state” after the former President’s debate performance against President Donald Trump.

At the time, Grijalva described a second Trump presidency as “very, very dangerous.” Yet, Grijalva, commonly referred to as “El Jefe,” has not been available to join the fight against Trump who he has characterized as an “anti-democratic, authoritarian despot.”

Even the Congressman’s biggest fans are calling for him to step aside. Progressive Democrat Arizona Daily Star columnist, Tim Steller, most recently called for the ailing Congressman to make room for new blood.

The 76-year-old Democrat, serving his 12th term in Congress, told KOLD-TV in Tucson that he wouldn’t run again after his November win. He said he wasn’t going to abandon his office once he returned, but “it’s time for someone else. It’s time for someone younger.”

His comments fed rumors that he was simply running for the spot in order to have his daughter, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, fill it at the most politically convenient moment – a moment that would best facilitate her entry.

In 1988, as noted on his website, Grijalva “was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where he served for the next 15 years, chairing the Board for two of those years. Raúl resigned his seat on the Board of Supervisors in 2002 to seek office in Arizona’s newly created Seventh Congressional District.”

In October 2023, Cronkite News reported that Grijalva had “missed more than 300 votes” since he announced his illness in February 2023. Congress has only been in session since January 6, and he has since missed an additional 27 votes.