Raúl Grijalva

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Raúl Grijalva
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 7th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 2003
Preceded by	District created after 2000 census
Born	February 19, 1948 (1948-02-19) (age 61) Tucson, Arizona
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ramona F. Grijalva
Children	Adalita Grijalva Raquel Grijalva Marisa Grijalva
Residence	Tucson
Alma mater	University of Arizona
Occupation	college administrator
Religion	Roman Catholic

Raúl M. Grijalva (born February 19, 1948) is an American politician from Arizona. He has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003 and represents Arizona's 7th congressional district and is a Democrat. The district includes half of metro Tucson, all of Yuma and Nogales, and some peripheral parts of metro Phoenix. Grijalva is a strong supporter of civil liberties.^[1]

[edit] Biography

Raúl Grijalva's father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program and labored on southern Arizona ranches.^[2] Raúl was born in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from Sunnyside Magnet High School in 1967. Grijalva is a 2004 inductee to the Sunnyside High School Alumni Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Arizona and earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology. While at the university, he was a member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA).In 1974, he was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board and served as a school board member until 1986. The Grijalva Elementary School in Tucson was named for him in 1987.^[3] From 1975 to 1986, Grijalva was the director of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, and in 1987 he was Assistant Dean for Hispanic Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. Grijalva was a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 2002, and served as chairman from 2000 to 2002. After the 2000 United States Census, Arizona gained two congressional districts. The 2nd District, which had long been represented by Democrat Mo Udall, was renumbered as the 7th District. Ed Pastor, a Phoenix Democrat who had succeeded Udall in 1991, had his home drawn into the newly created 4th District and opted to run for election there, making the 7th District an open seat. Grijalva won a crowded seven-way Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic, majority-Hispanic district. He has been reelected three times with no substantial Republican opposition. In 2008, he defeated Republican challenger Joseph Sweeney.

[edit] Personal Life

He is married to Ramona F. Grijalva and together they have three daughters: Adelita, Raquel and Marisa.

[edit] Political positions

In 2006, the conservative National Journal ranked him as the 21st most liberal member in the House of Representatives, based on his votes in 2005.^[4] Along with 25 other Democratic House members, he was ranked most liberal in economic policy votes; with 17 other Democrats he was most liberal on foreign policy. He was ranked as more liberal than 84% of Representatives on social issues. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) gives him a lifetime score of 98% for his voting record.^[1]

[edit] Environment

As a member and later chairman of Pima County Board of Supervisors, Grijalva was widely regarded as the leading political supporter of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan ^[5], an ambitious and highly regarded county program for planned land-use and biodiversity conservation.^[6]. He has consistently supported endangered species conservation and wilderness issues then and as a Congressman.^[7].

In late 2008, Grijalva was a popular choice of environmental groups to head the Department of the Interior in Barack Obama's cabinet, but the position went to Colorado Senator Ken Salazar.^[8][9][10]

[edit] Immigration

Grijalva has described current immigration laws as "cruel" and "unjust."^[2] He supports legalization for illegal aliens already present in the country, as well as increasing legal immigration.^[2] He voted against H.R. 4437 and against the Secure Fence Act. He opposed Arizona Proposition 200 in 2004, and he does not support a National Guard presence on the border.

[edit] 2004 elections

Concerned about allegations of voting irregularities purportedly leading to disenfranchisement, in 2004 Grijalva joined Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and several other House Democrats in requesting that the United Nations observe and certify elections in the United States.^[11]

After the General Election, Grijalva was one of 31 Representatives who voted in the House not to count the electoral votes from Ohio on grounds of unacceptable irregularities.^[12]

[edit] Gun control

Grijalva supports slightly increasing restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns and slightly increasing enforcement of existing restrictions on gun purchase and possession.^[13] He was one of the 67 co-sponsors of the 2007 Assault Weapons Ban, HR 1022.^[14]

[edit] Animals

In 2005 the Humane Society gave Grijalva a score of 100% for his "advocacy on animal welfare issues considered by Congress in 2005." He opposed horse slaughter, animal fighting, and puppy mills.^[15]

[edit] Native Americans

Grijalva is a strong supporter of sovereignty and government-to-government relationship[s].^[16]

[edit] Impeachment

Grijalva supported House Resolution 635 to censure President George W. Bush.^[17]

[edit] Committees assignments

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Workforce Protections
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power

[edit] Caucuses

• Congressional Hispanic Caucus (1st Vice Chair)
• Congressional Progressive Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Congressional National Landscape Conservation System (Co-Chair)

[edit] Electoral history

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva official U.S. House website
• Raúl Grijalva for Congress official campaign website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
• Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Videos of Grijalva discussing various issues Tucson Citizen, March 22, 2006