The PRT will host Democrat Adelita Grijalva and Republican Daniel Butierez at a special candidates’ forum on Aug. 16 at the Tin Shed Theater in Patagonia.
The event is open to the public on a first come, first seated basis. Capacity is 100. Doors will open at 3pm, with the one-hour forum beginning at 4pm. Candidates will be available to speak with members of the public before the forum. In partnership with We Love Nogales, the event will be livestreamed on YouTube and recorded in both English and Spanish.
The two candidates are facing off in a special election on Sept. 23 to determine who will serve the remaining 15 months of the late Rep. Raul Grijalva’s term in Congress representing Arizona’s 7th congressional district (CD7).
Rep. Grivalja died in office on March 13; Adelita is his eldest daughter.
All of Eastern Santa Cruz County is inside CD7, a geographically massive district that includes most of the Mexico–United States border in Arizona, as well as one-third of Tucson. CD7’s population is 811,000 and is 83.6% urban, 16.4% rural, 60% Hispanic and 29% white. As registered Democrats currently outnumber registered Republicans in the district by a nearly 2:1 margin (174,992 to 92,057), it is considered a safely Democratic seat.
Butierez faced the late Rep. Grivalja in the November 2024 general election and lost by 63.4%-36.6%.