Longtime Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva Says He’s Not Running For Congress Again

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said Monday that he won’t be running for reelection after November, meaning he’ll be hanging it up after serving nearly two decades in Congress.

“I think 22 years is pretty good,” Grijalva, 76, said in an interview with KOLD News 13 in Tucson. “It’s a retirement age.”

He added, “It’s time for someone younger.”

The Arizona Democrat, a strong progressive voice in the House, has been undergoing chemotherapy for months after being diagnosed with lung cancer in February. On Monday, he said he’s nearly back to good health, putting himself at about 90% restored while still doing physical therapy.

His cancer treatments have kept him away from D.C. for months, meaning that while he’s been doing some congressional work from afar, he’s missed hundreds of House votes in a very narrowly divided chamber. But Grijalva said none of those missed votes really mattered anyway since Republicans are in charge and have struggled to get things done.

“It’s the worst-performing Congress in decades, if not 100 years,” he said. “I didn’t miss anything and the American people didn’t miss anything.”

Grijalva is expected to coast to reelection in November in his safely Democratic seat in Arizona’s 7th congressional district. If Democrats win back the House, he’ll likely resume his post as chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.