Longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., died Thursday from “complications of his cancer treatment,” his office announced in a statement. He was 77.
Grijalva, who served in the House for more than 20 years, was elected to Congress in 2002. He was chair of the Natural Resources Committee and most recently was the top Democrat on the committee. He also was one of the leading progressive voices on Capitol Hill, and he was the longest-serving co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, from 2009 to 2019.
He was a senior member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
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"He was steadfast in his commitment to produce lasting change through environmental policies — as he would say, 'It’s for the babies.' He led the Natural Resources Committee without fear of repercussion, but with an urgency of the consequences of inaction," his staff said in a statement.
"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 said.
Grijalva is the second House Democrat to die in office this month. First-term Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, suddenly died March 5 after he attended President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress the night before.
Politics
The Republican majority in the House has been extremely tight this Congress. Grijalva's death means the Republicans control 218 seats and the Democrats control 213.
Grijalva represented Arizona's 7th Congressional District, a sprawling border region that stretched from Tucson to Yuma and also included suburbs outside Phoenix.
He was born in Tucson. His father, a migrant worker from Mexico, had immigrated to the United States through the Bracero labor program. He and his wife, Ramona, have three daughters.
It was in Tucson where he began his career in public service as a community organizer. He chaired the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board for six years before he served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors for more than a decade.
Grijalva's health had been declining over the past year. In April, he announced that his physician had diagnosed him with cancer after he had sought medical treatment for a persistent cough.
“This diagnosis has been difficult to process," Grijalva said at the time, "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.”
After the November election, six-term Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., launched a surprise bid against Grijalva for the top Democratic spot on the Natural Resources Committee. Rather than fight for the post, Grijalva dropped out and threw his support behind a fellow Southwesterner, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. Huffman easily defeated her.
Grijalva was last in the Capitol on Jan. 3, the first day of the new Congress, to be sworn in for the new term. He had lost a significant amount of weight and was in a wheelchair. Since then, he missed every House vote.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, is expected to call a special election to fill the vacancy in the coming days. Grijalva's seat is deep blue, and Democrats are expected to easily hold it.
Grijalva's death was announced as House Democrats were gathering at their annual policy retreat in Virginia.
At a Progressive Caucus news conference Thursday, Chairman Greg Casar, D-Texas, called Grijalva "a champion of the environment and environmental justice" and "a real mentor and friend to me."
"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 just moments after the announcement.
"And I’d say both ... as a young Latino in politics, there were not that many Latino progressives with a real national profile to look up to, and he’s somebody that I just ... somebody that I looked up to and was able to serve with far too briefly."
During his nearly quarter-century in Washington, Grijalva fought to protect the Grand Canyon, modernize land ports of entry, expand health care for tribal communities, secure funding to combat climate change and forgive student loans.
In a statement Thursday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Grijalva a "progressive warrior who always fought for the least, the lost and the left behind” and said the "Congress, Caucus and country lost a giant" who had fought for the environment and against climate change.
"As the Chairman and top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Grijalva made sure that historic investments in our environment and public lands were effective and equitable," Jeffries said. "Raúl led by example, pushing everyone around him to tackle the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now, including with the Inflation Reduction Act which he championed."
NBC News' Rebecca Kaplan and Kyle Stewart contributed.
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