A former Arizona state representative is the first to announce he is running for the seat in Congress in AZ District 7, which includes south Yuma County and is currently vacant following the recent passing of longtime Congressman Raúl Grijalva.
Daniel Hernandez announced Monday morning that he is running to represent southern Arizona in Congress. Raised in Tucson, Hernandez was elected to the Arizona State House in 2016 and co-founded the House LGBTQ caucus.
In his announcement, Hernandez said he "vows to fight the MAGA extremists, lower costs and protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security" for Arizonans in Congress.
"We have a crisis in our country right now where we have the cost of living (rising) and the access to health care through cuts to Medicare and Medicaid looming," Hernandez told KAWC. "I'm excited to be running because I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to reduce the cost of living like I did when I was in the Legislature for six years."
Hernandez served three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives. His sisters Alma and Consuelo Hernandez both currently serve in the Arizona Legislature.
He ran an unsuccessful campaign in neighboring Congressional District 6 in 2022, losing in the Democratic primary to Kirsten Engel who would go on to lose in the general election to Republican Juan Ciscomani.
Grijalva, who served in Congress for more than two decades, passed away following complications from a battle with cancer, his office announced on March 13. He was 77.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that a primary election will take place on July 15 with a general election to follow on Sept. 23.
On March 18, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced that he is "strongly considering a run" in the district where he was born and raised. Fontes was raised in Nogales and told KAWC he is a graduate of Arizona Western College in Yuma. In November, Capitol Media Services reported Fontes is considering a primary challenge to Democratic Gov. Hobbs in 2026.
Grijalva's daughter Adelita Grijalva, a Pima County supervisor, has been named as a possible third Democratic candidate and she said she will make an announcement following her father's services scheduled for Wednesday in Tucson.
On March 14, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who was raised in Somerton in Yuma County, said she will not be seeking the CD07 Congressional seat. As of Monday morning, no one besides Hernandez has formally announced.
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Stay tuned to KAWC to hear from Daniel Hernandez and for more from his announcement.
