Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva died on Thursday following complications from his cancer treatment. He was 77 years old.
The lawmaker’s staff said in a statement that Grijalva was “steadfast in his commitment to produce lasting change through environmental policies.”
“He led the Natural Resources Committee without fear of repercussion, but with an urgency of the consequences of inaction,” the team added.
“His strong belief was that no matter where you’re from, one truth unites us all: everyone deserves the freedom to live a healthy life, and every child deserves a safe and fair chance at their future,” the statement continued.
A statement from the Office of Raúl M. Grijalva. pic.twitter.com/DJkWNfwHfn
— Raul M. Grijalva (@RepRaulGrijalva) March 13, 2025
Grijalva was first elected to Congress in 2002, after which he won reelection 11 times, according to NBC News.
He was chair of the Natural Resources Committee from 2015 to 2019.
Grijalva was also the longest-serving co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a post he held from 2009 to 2019, and was a leading member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The death of Grijalva widened the narrow Republican majority in the House.
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Republicans now have 218 seats while the Democrats have 213.
Grijalva is the second House Democrat to die while in office this month.
Texas Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, who was serving his first term, died one day after the joint address to Congress from President Donald Trump.
Grijalva is also the fifth House Democrat to die while in office in the past 12 months.
Grijalva had announced last April that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
“This diagnosis has been difficult to process,” Grijalva said last year, per NBC News.
“But I am confident in the vigorous course of treatment that my medical team has developed, and I’ve begun my journey to fight this cancer.”
Grijalva had missed almost every vote of the new Congress.
He attended the first day on Jan. 3 in a wheelchair but had not been at the Capitol since.
Texas Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, who chairs the Progressive Caucus, said at a news conference that Grijalva was “a champion of the environment and environmental justice,” as well as a friend and mentor.
“I know the people of Arizona are in mourning, and our thoughts are really with his family, but it’s just some very, very difficult news for us today,” Casar said.
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is expected to announce a special election to let Arizonans choose his successor, per AZ Central.
She has 72 hours to declare the special election date after the office is officially declared vacant.
The district held by Grijalva is solidly Democratic and includes much of Arizona’s border with Mexico.
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