Adelita Grijalva was elected to Arizona's 7th Congressional District on September 23, 2025, winning a special election with 69% of the vote to succeed her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
Despite her decisive victory, Speaker Mike Johnson delayed swearing her in for 50 days, citing the government shutdown. However, precedent shows that Johnson swore in three other Republicans within 24 hours of their special election victories earlier in 2025.
Democrats alleged the delay was intentional - Grijalva would be the 218th signature needed to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files, a petition that has bipartisan support but would embarrass the Trump administration.
On November 12, 2025, Adelita Grijalva was finally sworn into Congress, ending one of the longest delays in modern congressional history for a special election winner.