(CN) — U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, who has represented Arizonans in Congress as a Democrat for more than two decades, announced on Tuesday that he has cancer and committed to continue working through treatment.
“My congressional office remains open and the many services we provide for our constituents continue uninterrupted,” Grijalva said in a news release. “I am in regular communication with my staff and I continue to work as I undergo treatment.”
Born in Tucson in 1948, Grijalva became involved in politics under the Chicano nationalist Raza Unida Party during the early 1970s.
In 1974, he moved to the Democratic Party and was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board. When he moved on to the Pima County Board of Supervisors, a Tucson elementary school was named after him.
"I am very saddened to hear that Congressman Raúl Grijalva is battling cancer, but if there ever was a fighter, it's Chairman Grijalva,” said Pima County Attorney Laura Conover on Twitter. “My family and I are sending all our prayers to the whole family during this time.”
Grijalva first ran for Congress in 2002. He won that election and has held office ever since — even as his district was redrawn into the 7th in 2013 and the 3rd in 2022.
Today, Grijalva represents Arizona’s southernmost district, which spans most of the state’s border with Mexico, as well as parts of Tucson, Yuma and Nogales. After winning reelection in 2022 with a nearly 30-point lead on his Republican opponent, Grijalva intends to campaign again this year.
In addition to being the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Grijalva spent a decade co-chairing the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He's also long been a member on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus as well as the Education and Labor Task Force.
Grijalva said he saw a doctor over a persistent cough and was initially diagnosed with pneumonia until further testing revealed the cancer. The representative did not say what type of cancer he has been diagnosed, just that he is already fighting it.
“This diagnosis has been difficult to process, 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 said in his statement.
Messages of faith and support poured in across social media, including from representatives Steve Cohen, a Democrat who represents Tennessee's 9th District, Bonnie Watson Coleman, a Democrat representing New Jersey’s 12th District, and Mike Collins, a Republican representing Georgia’s 10th District.
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