Political Notes: Arizona special election ends LGBTQ West Coast sweep

The contest for an open Arizona congressional seat has brought to an end a remarkable LGBTQ sweep of high-profile special elections in the West this year. Nonetheless, it is buoying progressive Democrats ahead of this fall’s November elections and the 2026 midterms where control of the U.S. Senate and House will be up for grabs.

In the July 15 Democratic primary for Arizona’s 7th Congressional District seat, Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva easily secured her party’s backing. She captured more than 60% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns.

She is now expected to easily win the special general election being held September 23 to succeed her father, congressmember Raúl Grijalva, who died in March. The Democrat had held the seat for 12 terms.

High-profile progressives like U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) had endorsed Grijalva, raised money for her, and featured her at one of the stops of their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.”

“Running as a progressive in this country is never easy. You are often taking on the corporate establishment, the media establishment, and the political establishment of both parties. But Adelita's victory shows what is possible when people come together and do what they can to help,” noted Sanders in an email to supporters Wednesday.

Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) had also endorsed Grijalva, leading pundits to consider her to be the favored candidate of the party’s “old guard.” Meanwhile, queer social media strategist Deja Foxx had been pegged as the up-and-comer.

That was partly due to her being 25 years old but also because party upstart David Hogg had thrown his support behind Foxx’s candidacy. He was recently ousted as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee for launching his own political action committee to take on the party’s moderate incumbents in next year’s congressional races.

As an out woman of color, Foxx had won the backing of LPAC, which works to elect LGBTQ women and nonbinary candidates to public office. Gay former Arizona State House member Daniel Hernandez had secured the endorsement of the LGBTQ Victory Fund in the race.

Foxx ended up in second place with more than 20% of the vote. In third was Hernandez with 14%.

CA races
Their failing to advance in the race ended a string of wins by a trio of LGBTQ candidates running for open seats in recent months that attracted national attention. All three of those contests happened to take place in California.

In April, lesbian civil rights and environmental justice expert Charlene Wang won election to the District 2 seat on the Oakland City Council. She took her oath of office in the spring, becoming one of three out women now serving on the body.

During Pride Week in late June gay San Jose Planning Commission chair Anthony Tordillos easily won his runoff race for the District 3 seat on his city council. He is set to be sworn into office August 12.

Earlier this month, bisexual Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre won the open District 1 seat on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in her July 1 runoff race. Her victory maintained a Democratic majority on the high-profile Southern California governing body.

“San Diego County has elected a leader of conscience, tenacity, and vision. Paloma Aguirre is a tireless champion for working families, a dedicated public servant, and a dear friend,” stated gay state Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego). “As Mayor of Imperial Beach, she has been a critical partner in our work to bring meaningful solutions to the ongoing cross border pollution crisis plaguing southern San Diego and I look forward to continuing that partnership as she steps into this new role.”

With the election set to be certified Wednesday, she is expected to be sworn into office this month.

"I've spent my life, from organizing in forgotten neighborhoods to standing up as a small-town mayor, fighting for working people and to fix the sewage crisis, and I'm not going to the county to back down – I'm going to double down and deliver," pledged Aguirre in a statement she released on election night.

Statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization Equality California had backed all three of the Golden State candidates. Their victories have buoyed EQCA as it looks ahead to next year’s elections where it will be assisting its endorsed candidates to expand the ranks of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus in Sacramento and flip GOP-held House seats to help return control of the chamber to Democrats.

“2026 provides us with our best opportunity yet to block Donald Trump and his administration's efforts to wreak havoc on the country. The path to retaking the House runs right through California – and recent polling shows that historic unpopularity numbers put the Senate in play as well,” noted gay EQCA Managing Director Tom Temprano in a recent fundraising pitch emailed to the political group’s members.

To introduce Tordillos to the South Bay’s LGBTQ community ahead of his swearing-in next month, the BAYMEC Community Foundation’s Queer Silicon Valley Gallery space in downtown San Jose will be hosting him Thursday, July 24. It will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and those interested in attending can RSVP online .

“Join us for a welcoming evening at as we celebrate openly LGBTQ+ San Jose Councilmember-elect Anthony Tordillos and the vibrant LGBTQ+ community. This event is a unique opportunity to connect with Anthony, hear about his vision for the City of San Jose, and build new relationships with neighbors and advocates,” noted Ken Yeager, the city’s first gay council councilmember who went on to be the first out Santa Clara County supervisor.

Yeager now leads the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee, which he helped found 50 years ago to help elect LGBTQ people and their allies in the South Bay. The evening event with Tordillos is free to attend but donations to the BAYMEC Community Foundation will be welcomed, according to the invite.

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Got a tip on LGBTQ politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email [email protected].