Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is threatening to take legal action against House Speaker Mike Johnson if Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva is not sworn into Congress by Thursday, three weeks after winning the special election to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.
In a letter sent Tuesday, Mayes urged Johnson to hold the swearing-in ceremony before the end of the ongoing federal government shutdown, calling the delay “a political stunt” that deprives southern Arizona residents of representation.
“The voters of CD7 need an elected representative,” Mayes said. “It is way past time for Mike Johnson to stop the political games and seat Adelita Grijalva without delay.”
Grijalva, who won the Sept. 23 special election to fill the seat once held by her late father, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, has yet to take office—an unusually long gap compared to past special elections. Mayes’ letter noted that five other new members, including four Republicans, were sworn in within two weeks of their elections over the past two years.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, defended the delay, saying the House has not been in full session since Grijalva’s victory. “She deserves to have all the pomp and circumstance that everybody else does,” Johnson said Tuesday. “That hasn’t been scheduled because we haven’t had that session yet.”
Democrats, however, have accused Johnson of partisan motives, pointing to Grijalva’s pledge to sign a discharge petitionthat would force a vote on releasing Jeffrey Epstein case files. Grijalva said she believes her support for transparency may be contributing to the delay.
“The fact that southern Arizona is being treated differently raises serious questions about political motivations,” she said in a statement.
Mayes, joined by Governor Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, formally certified Grijalva’s election results Tuesday morning. Unless Johnson schedules the swearing-in ceremony by Thursday, Mayes said she is prepared to pursue legal action on behalf of Arizona voters.
