Grijalva had said last year he would not run for reelection in 2026 while receiving treatments for cancer.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) died on March 13, leaving behind a more than 20-year legacy in Arizona’s congressional delegation.
The congressman’s office confirmed his death in a statement on Thursday. He passed in the morning from cancer treatment complications.
“From permanently protecting the Grand Canyon for future generations to strengthening the Affordable Care Act, his proudest moments in Congress have always been guided by community voices,” the statement reads.
“[Girjalva’s push] for new public parks, childcare centers, health care clinics, local businesses, and affordable housing have breathed new life into neighborhoods across Southern Arizona. Improvements to our roads, bridges, and streetcar system have improved our daily lives and attracted new businesses and industries to the area. ”
Grijalva, 77, was the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee after previously chairing it from 2019 to 2023. He was also the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for 10 years.
On Thursday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus honored Grijalva at the House Democrats’ annual retreat in Leesburg, Virginia.
“Today we mourn the loss of Congressman Grijalva, a giant of the house and the progressive movement,” said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), the current chair of the caucus.
“We are going to deeply miss him. I know the people of Arizona are in mourning, and our thoughts are really with his family.”
Casar said that as a young Latino in politics, there were not that many Latino progressives like Grijalva at the national level at the time, and he was proud to look up to the congressman.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the previous chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, recounted the time Grijalva passed the torch to her at the end of his term as co-chair of the caucus.
“He said it is so important that we have somebody who has been fighting in the movement already. And I said, ‘Well, we’re just following in your path, Raúl,’” she said. “Never had to wonder where representative Grijalva was going to be in a critical vote. He was always going to be in the place of the people.”
House Democrats lost another member, Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), who died from health issues last week.
Grijalva, who was known for championing environmental causes, had said in October 2024 that he would not run for reelection next year while receiving cancer treatments.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that Congress and the nation had “lost a giant” following Grijalva’s death.
“Congressman Grijalva represented his community fiercely, keeping his constituents and the climate at the center of everything he did,” Jeffries said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.