Arizona

What to know about the race to replace the late Arizona House Democrat

Published

4 months ago

July 15, 2025

What to know about the race to replace the late Arizona House Democrat

Voters in southern Arizona will have a good sense of who might succeed the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva – one of three septuagenarian Democrats who died while serving in Congress since the start of this year – after July 15.

The Democratic and Republican primaries on Tuesday come two months before the special election on Sept. 23. But, in the deep blue stronghold, whoever comes out on top among the handful of candidates on the left will have the general upper hand.

Adelita Grijalva, the late congressman’s daughter and former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, is the leading contender for the Democratic nomination, in what has become a microcosm of an ongoing national debate about the future of the party.

Also in the mix in Arizona is a more moderate former intern for former Rep. Gabby Giffords, as well as a Gen-Z social media savant.

On the Republican side, three candidates face off in hopes they can defeat more than two decades of precedent.

Grijalva, a staunch progressive, champion of environmental issues and congressman of over twenty years, died in March at the age of 77 following a battle with lung cancer.

The special election to fill his seat is one of three that will be held this year to fill House vacancies prompted by the death of a congressmember, all Democrats.

Grijalva’s daughter leads three-way Democratic contest

Adelita Grijalva, 54, is the expected frontrunner leading in the special election’s limited polling.

Taking up her father’s progressive mantle, Grijalva said in a debate on June 10 that his work in office “is the legacy that shaped me.”

Her campaign has garnered a slew of endorsements from prominent groups and figures, in and out of the state, including both Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and fellow progressives Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Her main competitors include former state legislator Daniel Hernandez, 35, who had been working for one week as an intern to Giffords when a gunman opened fire at her Tucson constituent event in 2011. Hernandez, then a 20-year-old college student, has been credited with saving Giffords’ life by rushing toward her when she was shot in the head and staunching the bleeding.

The race in Arizona is a three-way contest between Hernandez, Grijalva and 25-year-old Deja Foxx, a popular social media strategist and activist.

While Grijalva has the political establishment’s backing (and Hernandez has his own endorsements from lawmakers like New York Rep. Ritchie Torres), Foxx has attracted support from some Democratic disruptors seeking a major shift in the party.

David Hogg, activist and former co-vice chair of the Democratic Party, and his political group, Leaders We Deserve, have endorsed Foxx’s grassroots campaign.

Democratic primary winner has the upper hand

Tuesday’s Democratic primary will be a good indication of who will ultimately win the seat and provide insight into voters’ hopes for the party.

Whichever Democrat comes out on top will be in the prime position to win in September, given the 7th district’s historically liberal leaning.

Three Republicans – Daniel Butierez, Jimmy Rodriguez and Jorge Rivas – hope to buck the region’s longstanding tradition of going Democrat. All are businessmen with thin political resumes.

The winner of the July 15 Republican primary faces a steep general election battle, regardless of opponent.

Aid for House Democrats

Congressional Democrats are counting on a Democrat to win in southern Arizona.

The outcome of this special election will help them tighten the margin in the House and put extra pressure on Republicans, who are already working with a narrow majority.

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s intraparty tightrope was evident early in July during the passage of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax, spending and policy legislation.

In a campaign video on July 4, the day Trump signed the bill into law, Foxx, one of Arizona’s trio of Democratic candidates, said Republicans won “not because Democrats didn’t fight hard enough, but because three Dem congressmen died, while in office, and handed MAGA Republicans the advantage.”

Grijalva’s death came a week after former Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, died at 70. In May, Virginia’s Rep. Gerry Connolly, 75, was the third Democrat to die in office.

A special election to replace Connolly will be held in northern Virginia on Sept. 9. Texas’ 18th Congressional District, in the Houston area, will select Turner’s successor later on Nov. 4.

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Arizona

Arizona-based Hickman’s Family Farms set to be acquired by Brazilian company

Published

8 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Press Room

Arizona-based Hickman’s Family Farms set to be acquired by Brazilian company

GREELEY, CO (AZFamily) — Mantiqueira USA announced Friday it has entered an agreement to acquire Hickman’s Egg Ranch, an egg producer headquartered in Arizona.

Hickman’s has over five locations across Arizona. The company also has locations in California, Colorado, and Nevada.

The Arizona egg farm took a huge hit after losing most of its chickens to bird flu earlier this year. About six million birds were lost. Glenn Hickman, president and CEO of Hickman’s Egg Ranch, says it was the first time in 81 years that the company had been unable to fulfill 100% of customer demands.

Hickman said this new transition will bring opportunities to customers, employees and partners.

The acquisition marks MTQ USA’s formal entry into the U.S. market. The company is a spin-off from Mantiqueira Brasil.

“Expanding into the United States has long been a vision for our family, and taking this step through the acquisition of Hickman’s makes this moment especially meaningful,” said Leandro Pinto, founder of Mantiqueira. “Hickman’s is a respected leader with a legacy of quality and service.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.

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Arizona

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after tough win over Arizona State

Published

1 day ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

What Gonzaga’s Mark Few said after tough win over Arizona State

Friday didn’t feature the cleanest 40 minutes Gonzaga has put together over the first two weeks of the college basketball season.

Though despite an abnormal amount of turnovers, defensive lapses and woeful shooting stretches, the Bulldogs remained level-headed down the stretch to leave Desert Financial Arena with a 77-65 victory over Arizona State.

A combined 58 free throw attempts, 44 foul calls and a pair of technical fouls between the future and former Pac-12 schools underscored the chaotic nature of the late-night tilt, creating quite the environment for the Bulldogs’ first true road test of the 2025-26 campaign.

After having its 14-point lead chopped down to five midway through the second half, Gonzaga took advantage of a pair of technical fouls assessed against the Sun Devils, including one on head coach Dan Hurley, to pull away late and advance to 4-0 on the season.

Here’s what Mark Few had say about his team’s performance after the game.

“I think we just kind of hung in there. I thought we had some really good performances by several of our guys, but it was kind of like in spurts, and then in some instances, a good first half out of somebody, and then not so good the second half.”

“Like I told them afterwards, anytime we can win a game like this, and maybe not feel like we played perfect; as long as we learn from it, that was a really, really good chance to learn. So we got to watch a lot of stuff.”

“Obviously, their quickness and athleticism and what they were doing had a lot to do with it. But these guys stepped up. [Ike] made big plays in both halves. I thought Tyon really got in there and really helped us, especially in that first half, really made a difference.”

“We were struggling on the offensive end. Too many turnovers for us, and too many kind of little defensive breakdowns there that we’ve been doing a good job and not having quite as many of those.”

“That’s so hard to do. He had missed some shots early, and I know he was down on himself, wasn’t feeling good. And I think that just shows incredible mental toughness … when it’s not going good, to flip the switch and come back and make plays and those shots were huge. It kind of gave us a cushion to kind of get us through there at the end, so I was proud of him.

“That was a kind of a hostile environment and kind of a crazy game, but our guys just made enough plays to win.”

“I mean, it’s hard to put your finger on it. Sometimes it’s been a little bit of a defensive problem. Sometimes it’s been a little bit of an offensive problem.”

“You’re not going to blow somebody out in the first 4 minutes. We’re establishing a rhythm, trying to figure out how they’re covering us, and if our coverages are working, and how they’re attacking that. So a lot of times it’s just a little bit of a feeling-out process.”

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Arizona

Republicans’ chances of defeating Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor race—Poll

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2025

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Republicans’ chances of defeating Katie Hobbs in Arizona governor race—Poll

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is in for a close race against Republican challengers in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a new poll.

Newsweek reached out to Hobbs and the Republican candidates’ campaigns for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Arizona emerged as a key swing state over the past decade, with both parties scoring statewide victories. Last November, President Donald Trump carried the state by nearly six points, but Democrat Ruben Gallego eked out a win in the Senate race, a sign of how competitive the state can still be.

Hobbs, first elected in 2022, is up for reelection next year. Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the midterms. Historically, the president’s party loses seats, and Trump’s approval remains low.

A series of Democratic victories in recent elections has also fueled hopes about a blue wave in the midterms. But forecasters still view the race as competitive for both parties, and the Emerson College poll released Friday underscores just how close it may be.

What To Know

Hobbs narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in 2022, a year that was generally stronger for Republicans. Prior to the election, Hobbs served as Arizona’s secretary of state and as a state legislator starting in 2011.

Several Republicans are vying to challenge her, including Arizona Representatives Andy Biggs and David Schweikert, as well as attorney Karrin Taylor Robson. Trump has endorsed both Biggs and Robson.

The Emerson poll showed Hobbs with a slight lead over each of the Republican candidates.

She held a single-point lead over Biggs (44 percent to 43 percent) and Robson (43 percent to 42 percent), and a five-point lead over Schweikert (44 percent to 39 percent), according to the poll. It surveyed 850 registered voters from November 8 to 10 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Biggs held a lead in the primary, with 50 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him. Meanwhile, Robson and Schweikert held 17 percent and 8 percent support, respectively, in the primary, the poll found.

Other polls have also painted a picture of a close race. A Noble Predictive Insights poll, which surveyed 948 registered voters from August 11 to 18, showed Hobbs with a two-point lead over both Biggs (39 percent to 37 percent) and Robson (40 percent to 38 percent). It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

In 2022, Hobbs defeated Lake by less than a single percentage point (50.3 percent to 49.7 percent) in what was one of the closest races across the country. Arizona was also one of the closest states at the presidential level in 2020—former President Joe Biden carried it by less than half a percentage point.

In 2024, however, Trump gained back ground in the state, winning 52.2 percent of the vote to former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 46.7 percent.

What People Are Saying

Spencer Kimball, director of the Emerson College poll, wrote in a report: “In a matchup between Hobbs and Biggs, voters who say the economy is their top issue break for Hobbs, 45% to 41%, while those who find immigration to be the top issue break for Biggs, 81% to 6%.”

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in April: “I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so.

“When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

What Happens Next

The Arizona race is likely to become closely watched—and expensive—as both parties try to win over voters over the coming year. Sabato’s Crystal Ball classifies the race as a pure toss-up.

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