Grijalva wins 7th term in Congress

He defeated Republican Gabriela Saucedo Mercer for a second time.

District 3 includes parts of Pima, Maricopa, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties. Grijalva had significant leads in all but Maricopa County Tuesday night, with all but 40 precincts and some late mail ballots to be counted.

“I’m very gratified,” Grijalva said at a celebration at his campaign headquarters Tuesday night. “It’s not a routine for me. This is a two-year employment contract with the voters, and you’ve got to work at it every year.”

Grijalva will return to a changed landscape in which he’s a member of a smaller minority party in the House and Senate.

“While it’s devastating to some extent, it could really be liberating for Democrats,” Grijalva said, because Republicans won’t be able to blame the president for inaction.

Grijalva said he would continue to focus on immigration, the environment and the budget.

Saucedo Mercer ran a grass-roots campaign, having raised about $80,000 this election cycle. Her strategy included significant time campaigning in Maricopa County, and she won in that county.

She criticized Grijalva for supporting abortion rights. Saucedo Mercer is opposed to abortion.

Grijalva raised about $550,000. He didn’t attack his opponent and ran a race that focused on getting out the vote, he said. And unlike other congressional races in Southern Arizona, this race did not attract money from outside groups.

By 10 p.m. Tuesday, Grijalva’s lead over Saucedo Mercer was much smaller than in 2012, when he won by 35,000 votes. With 80 percent of precincts reporting, Grijalva was up by about 8,000 votes.