Takeaways from Arizona and Georgia Special Elections

Former Pima County supervisor Adelita Grijalva easily won a special election Tuesday in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District to fill the seat held by her late father, former Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D).

Adelita Grijalva beat Republican Daniel Butierez to represent a House seat in the Grand Canyon State that spans most of the state’s southern border and includes part of Tucson; the seat opened up when her father died of complications related to his cancer treatment in March.

Grijalva’s win also means that enough Democrats and Republicans will be able to force a vote on the House floor over the Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Republicans were able to keep a state Senate seat in their hands during a special election runoff. But the results there are giving Democrats reasons to feel good, too.

Here are key takeaways from the Arizona and Georgia special elections:

Final Epstein vote secured

Grijalva’s win Tuesday night means lawmakers pushing for the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein now have enough votes in the House to move forward.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) will clinch enough signatures on their discharge petition once Grijalva is sworn in, which will force a vote on the House floor over the Justice Department’s release of the files.

The Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files has angered Republicans and Democrats alike, particularly after the Justice Department determined earlier this year that Epstein didn’t maintain a “client list” — a departure from what some Trump allies had originally alluded to — and that the disgraced financier’s death was by suicide, not the result of foul play.

House Republican leadership had sought to stave off some of that turmoil by releasing some documents from Epstein’s estate and having the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hold a closed-door meeting with some of his accusers. But the moves did little to shake several of the Republicans who signed onto the discharge petition.

The effort had every Democrat on board, in addition to GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Lauren Boebert (Colo.) — but they were shy one signature. Grijalva is set to deliver that critical vote for Massie and Khanna soon.

Adelita Grijalva takes up father’s progressive mantle

The elder Grijalva was a progressive icon who co-chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus as well as the Natural Resources Committee; he was known as a major environmental justice advocate who also went toe-to-toe with the Trump administration on environmental regulations and rollbacks.

Adelita Grijalva is expected to continue those progressive politics herself, emphasizing on her website how she has “developed a reputation for bringing people together to address the biggest issues facing Southern Arizona, including affordable housing, environmental protection and climate resiliency, and healthy and safe communities.”

Grijalva also enjoyed endorsements from prominent progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Democrats fall short in Georgia, but overperform

Democrats eyed a potential upset in Georgia’s state Senate District 21 after no candidate won at least half the vote during the August special election to replace Brandon Beach, who was tapped by President Trump to serve as U.S. treasurer.

Democrat Debra Shigley, an attorney and businessowner, lost to Republican Jason Dickerson, a businessowner and political newcomer, to represent a state Senate seat that encompasses parts of Cherokee and Fulton counties. Shigley had received close to 40 percent of the vote in August, while Dickerson, stuck in a six-way battle with five other GOP candidates, received more than 17 percent of the vote.

Despite Shigley’s loss, however, Democrats still celebrated the attorney’s performance in the state legislative election. While Beach won his seat comfortably in November with 70 percent of the vote, Dickerson didn’t break 62 percent Tuesday.

Though special elections and the usual November elections encounter different dynamics, Democrats touted Shigley’s overperformance — part of a larger trend for the party this year in a number of special legislative and congressional elections.

“By overperforming this Trump +34 district, another important trend is clearly emerging — Republicans are running scared across the country while Democrats are standing their ground and winning in red, blue, and purple districts,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.