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Democrat Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in as a member of Congress on Wednesday, seven weeks after winning a special election to fill the Arizona seat once held by her late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduled to administer the oath of office at 4 p.m. Wednesday, shortly before the House votes on a bill to reopen the federal government, according to the speaker’s office.
“After seven weeks of waiting, I almost can’t believe it’s true,” Grijalva said Monday, adding that she was disappointed her first vote would be on legislation “that does nothing for affordable health care for the American people.”
Grijalva won the Sept. 23 special election, but the House has not met since Sept. 19, when it passed a short-term funding measure backed by Republicans. Since then, Johnson has repeatedly extended what was initially planned as a weeklong recess, frustrating Democrats who urged him to swear in the new member immediately.
Grijalva’s addition to the House will give Democrats the final signature they need on a petition to force a vote on releasing government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a move Republican leaders have resisted.
Johnson’s explanations for the delay have varied. During the first week of the shutdown, he said he would administer the oath “as soon as she wants.” Later, he cited scheduling constraints and “following the precedent.”
The GOP leader pointed to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in 2021 waited 25 days to swear in Republican Julia Letlow of Louisiana after her special election victory. Democrats countered that two Florida Republicans were sworn in just one day after their wins earlier this year during a pro forma session.
The delay prompted Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes to file a lawsuit last month seeking to compel Grijalva’s swearing-in, arguing that her constituents had been left without representation during the government shutdown.
Grijalva, a longtime Tucson school board member and former Pima County supervisor, is expected to continue her father’s progressive legacy on issues including immigration, environmental protection and Indigenous rights.
