Raúl Manuel Grijalva ( ; born February 19, 1948) is an American politician and activist who has served as the United States representative for from 2023 to the present and from 2003 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 7th from 2003 to 2013, includes the western third of Tucson, part of Yuma and Nogales, and some peripheral parts of metro Phoenix. Grijalva is the dean of Arizona's congressional delegation.
Early life, education and career
Raúl Grijalva's father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program and labored on southern Arizona ranches. Grijalva was born on Canoa Ranch, 30 miles south of Tucson. He graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1967 and is a 2004 inductee to the Sunnyside High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Arizona and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Grijalva was an Arizona leader of the Raza Unida Party. According to Armando Navarro's history of the party, "Grijalva was so militant that he alienated some members of Tucson's Mexican-American community. After losing in his first bid for elective office, a 1972 run for a seat on the school board, he began to cultivate a less radical image."
In 1974, Grijalva was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board and served until 1986. Grijalva Elementary School in Tucson was named for him in 1987. From 1975 to 1986, Grijalva was the director of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, and in 1987 he was Assistant Dean for Hispanic Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. Grijalva was a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 2002, and served as chair from 2000 to 2002. He resigned as a supervisor in 2002 to run for Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives
Tenure
114th Congress (2015–17) In 2015, Grijalva settled a complaint accusing him of drunkenness and a "hostile workplace environment" with a female staffer who had been at her job for three months. The $48,000 payment was made from House of Representatives funds.
116th Congress (2019–2021) For his tenure as the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee in the 116th Congress, Grijalva earned an "A" grade from the nonpartisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index.
In 2019, Grijalva was the subject of an Ethics Committee probe relating to his alcoholism and creating a "hostile workplace". He has repeatedly come under fire for alcohol use, but has denied alcoholism.
117th Congress (2021–23) Grijalva was at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to certify the 2020 presidential electoral college votes when the Capitol was attacked by Donald Trump supporters. Moments after Grijalva finished speaking in support of certifying Arizona's votes, insurrectionists started banging on the doors of the House chambers. He called the attack "one of the darkest and most shameful days of our republic" and the perpetrators "domestic terrorists". Grijalva blamed President Donald Trump for inciting the attack and called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to remove Trump from office. After the 25th Amendment was not invoked, Grijalva supported impeaching Trump a second time. He voted to impeach Trump again on January 13, 2021.
In February, Grijalva voted in support of the American Rescue Plan, which included a nationwide $15 federal minimum wage increase. The increase was removed from the bill by the Senate Parliamentarian. As a result, Grijalva joined a group of progressive Democrats in calling to overturn the Parliamentarian's ruling.
As of October 2021, Grijalva had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress: Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee on Natural Resources (Ranking Member) Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
Caucus memberships
Grijalva is a member of several dozen caucuses. A full list is available at his website. Congressional Progressive Caucus Congressional Hispanic Caucus LGBT Equality Caucus (vice chair) Congressional Arts Caucus Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus Medicare for All Caucus Blue Collar Caucus House Pro-Choice Caucus