Raul Grijalva said the term he won last November would be his last, but cancer kept him from serving the full two years.
Now his daughter Adelita is joining the crowded field of candidates asking voters to let them fill the vacant seat.
“I am not my dad. I could never fill his shoes, but I do walk in his footsteps, and the values that he shared are the values that I have, and I also have to acknowledge the fact that I'm still very sad.”
Adelita Grijalva has been winning her own elections for more than 20 years, first for the TUSD board, then as a Pima County Supervisor.
Like Adelita Grijalva, Beki Quintero grew up in a politically active family. Her father, Manny Herrera challenged his children to recognize community problems and solve them.
She’s confident Raul Grijalva taught Adelita Grijalva the same sort of lessons.
“That's how you grow up in our in our household. So I know that Adalita probably grew up the same way with her father and mother.” 11:42:39
Asked to recall one piece of her father’s advice, Adelita Grijalva said,
"Do your homework. Do your homework. You're not always the smartest person in the room, but don't. Don't let anyone outwork you and ask a lot of questions.”
She was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2020 but Arizona law says she must resign to run for a new office.
A news release from Adelita's Congressional team said she planned to resign from her Board seat, effective Friday, April 4.
WATCH | Next steps for the Pima County Board of Supervisors:
A LOOK AT THE RECENT HISTORY OF ARIZONA SPECIAL ELECTIONS:
