Republicans delay swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva amid Epstein files debate

A week after Adelita Grijalva won the election to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans in Washington D.C. are refusing to swear her in, leaving a significant part of Arizona without legislative representation.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) refused to swear Grijalva in, a Democrat representing parts of metro Phoenix and Tucson, Yuma and Nogales near the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Am I sworn in yet? No. Do I know when I’m going to get sworn in? No. Speaker Johnson has left the building and, unfortunately, what that means for us is that southern Arizona does not have a voice here to advocate for you,” Grijalva said in a video posted on X.

With nearly 70% of the vote, she won the Sept. 23 special election, making her the first Latina and Chicana state representative in Congress.

The seat was left vacant after her late father, Raul Grijalva, died of cancer in March 2025. He’s remembered for his more than 50 years of public service protecting the environment and working-class Americans.

The representative-elect made her way to Capitol Hill this week to push Republicans to negotiate a bipartisan government funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown.

During a pro forma session — a session at either chamber where regular business is usually not conducted — Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) said on Tuesday that the swearing-in would take place when the House returns to regular session in mid-October, as is customary.

However, according to Grijalva, the move is strategic, as it prohibits her from signing a petition to force a vote on a bill to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Her signature — which she has already promised to add to the petition — would be the last needed to make the vote possible.

“I will be the 218th signature,” she said in an interview with MSNBC prior to Tuesday.

Several representatives have sent letters directly to Johnson, urging him to change course, including House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Conn.) and Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz). The latter wrote that Grijalva’s work is vital to addressing the concerns of southern Arizonans with “the government funding deadline approaching and Americans’ healthcare hanging in the balance.”

Earlier this year, Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine, Republicans from Florida, were sworn in outside the regular House session, a day after they won their special elections. The same happened with Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia earlier this month. Because Grijalva also won her seat via a special election, it would follow precedent to swear her in during a pro forma session.

“Every day that I am here without being sworn in, southern Arizona loses,” she said on X.

CALÓ News reporter Nicole Macías Garibay contributed to this article.