Raul 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 60) Tucson, Arizona
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ramona F. Grijalva
Religion	Roman Catholic

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

[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.^[1]

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 MEChA.^[2]

In 1974, he was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board and served as a school board member until 1986. 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 the Democratic primary, which was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic, majority-Hispanic district. He has been reelected twice with no substantive opposition. In 2006, he defeated Republican challenger Ron Drake.

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

[edit] Politics

In 2006, 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 ranked as more liberal than 84% of Representatives on social issues.

[edit] Environment

As 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].

[edit] Immigration

Grijalva has described current immigration laws as "cruel" and "unjust."^[8] He supports legalization for illegal aliens already present in the country, as well as increasing legal immigration.^[9] 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. Grijalva's position on immigration has generated criticism from groups supporting immigration reduction. The American Patrol Report web site dedicates a page to oppose him.^[10]

[edit] Taxes

Grijalva has frequently voted against various tax cut initiatives. For his voting record during the 108th congress he received an F (11%) from the National Taxpayers Union, which tabulates scores based on any vote that affects taxes, spending and debt.^{[citation needed]} In July 2007, he was named "taxpayer hostile" by Citizens Against Government Waste for a ranking of between 0-19% on their scoring chart of votes against pork barrel spending.

[edit] Gun control

Grijalva is a supporter of gun control legislation. He was a cosponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Act of 2003, a cosponsor of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act of 2005, and is a supporter of the Brady Bill and other gun control legislation.

He voted "no" on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (Oct 2005) He voted "no" on prohibiting suing gun-makers and sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003) He received an F rating from the National Rifle Association on gun issues.^[11]

He is a cosponsor of the current Assault Weapon Ban, HR 1022.^[12]

[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.^[13]

[edit] Industrial hemp

Grijalva cosponsored the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.

[edit] Darfur

Grijalva is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network.

[edit] Native Americans

Grijalva is a strong supporter of sovereignty and government-to-government relationship[s].^[14] He supports the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the protection of sites sacred to Native Americans.

[edit] George W. Bush

Grijalva supported H.Res. 635 to censure President George W. Bush.^[15]

He was one of 31 who voted in the House not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.^[16]

[edit] Election integrity

Concerned about disenfranchisement, Grijalva joined several other House Democrats in 2004 and requested that the United Nations observe and certify elections in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Committees and assignments

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Chairman)
• Committee on Small Business
  • Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
• Co-Chair of the Congressional National Landscape Conservation System
• 1st Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

[edit] Confrontation

In October 2006, Garrett O'Hara a conservative blogger and University of Arizona student claimed that a Grijalva campaign staff member used physical force to switch off his audio recording device and removing the microphone plug. O'Hara was attempting to record a conversation between Grijalva and Ron Drake.

[edit] Party affiliation

According to an article in the alternative weekly newspaper Tucson Weekly, Grijalva was a member of the short-lived Raza Unida Party, and registered as a Democrat in Pima County, Arizona in 1977, despite his claim to be a lifelong Democrat.^[17]

[edit] Electoral history

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva, U.S. House site
• Raúl Grijalva for Congress, Campaign site

• 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
• Voting record at CongressMerge
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• Videos of Grijalva discussing various issues Tucson Citizen, March 22, 2006