TUCSON, Ariz — The margin in the House of Representatives currently sits at 218-215. That's a slim majority for the Republican party.
But Elise Stefanik's (R-NY) nomination for ambassador to the United Nations could lower that majority even more.
On the Democrat side, Raul Grijalva (AZ-07) has not voted since Jan. 3.
Grijalva announced he was diagnosed with cancer in early 2024, missing all 351 votes from April through September while getting treatment.
He won re-election over Republican challenger Daniel Butierez in November, and announced his return to Capitol Hill later that month.
But he has since only voted a handful of times, with the last vote being in support of Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08).
KGUN 9 reached out to Grijalva's team and asked for an interview. His team responded with a statement saying, "Rep. Grijalva continues to follow the advice of his medical team with the goal of returning to Washington DC as soon as he is able."
Representatives are not required by law to vote or propose legislation.
Grijalva has missed 40 of the 42 votes to start 2025.
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
