(Headline USA) Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., died Thursday—making him the second Democrat to die in office in as many weeks.
Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee during his 12 terms representing southern Arizona, a powerful perch he used to shape the nation’s environmental policies.
Grijalva died of complications from cancer treatment, his office said in a statement. The treatments had sidelined him from Congress in recent months.
He stepped down as the top Democrat on the Natural Resources committee earlier this year, after announcing that he planned to retire rather than run for reelection in 2026.
Grijalva announced nearly a year ago that he had been diagnosed with cancer but would be able to continue his work. Despite missing hundreds of House votes, he sought reelection in 2024 and won easily in one of the most solidly Democratic districts in Arizona.
The seat, which represents a district spanning southern Arizona from Tucson to the border with Mexico, will remain vacant until a replacement is selected in a special election later this year.
The Democratic primary in the mostly Hispanic district is likely to be a fierce battle between allies of Grijalva, a longtime southern Arizona power broker who led an influential bloc of progressive elected officials, and a more moderate faction. Possible contenders include his daughter, Adelita Grijalva, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, and Tucson Major Regina Romero, one of Grijalva’s longtime allies.
Another Democratic House member, Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas, died last week from health issues.
Turner, in turn, had replaced U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died last July after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
