Arizona Democrat Representative Raul Grijalva has passed away at the age of 77, his legislative department confirmed on Thursday.
Grijalva passed aside Thursday night from issues related to cancer care, his company confirmed.
” Rep. Grijalva’s kind and polite nature was known to many”, the speech from his office said. ” He was friendly by all because he believed people should get treated as equals. He loved to give presents, blare music in his company, and get to know people for who they are”.
In April 2024, he revealed his cancer diagnosis and began care, calling it a “difficult to practice” time.
Grijalva was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2002 and held important jobs on the House Natural Resources Committee, including seat and ranking part. Throughout his time in Congress, he was a powerful advocate for environmental problems.
He even served as chair professor of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Grijalva represented a highly Democratic region in southwestern Arizona near the US-Mexico borders. In November, he secured his eleventh expression in the House of Representatives, winning by over 25 percent positions against his Republican challenger.
A particular election will be required to fill the vacant chair.
This comes after House Democrats faced another damage last week with the departure of Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner, a former Houston governor, at the age of 70.
House Democratic president Hakeem Jeffries described Grijalva’s moving as a great loss, stating that both Congress and the country had “lost a huge”.
