Raul Grijalva
| Raúl Grijalva | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | District created after 2000 census |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
|
|
| Born | February 19 1948 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, one of the largest in the country, includes portions of Tucson and Phoenix, along with all of Yuma.
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 Democrat who had succeeded Udall in 1991, had his home drawn into the newly created 4th District and opted to run for election there. 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.
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.
Immigration
Grijalva has described current immigration laws as "cruel" and "unjust."[5] He supports legalization for illegal aliens already present in the country, as well as increasing legal immigration.[6] He voted against H.R. 4437 and against the Secure Fence Act. He opposed Arizona Proposition 200, 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.[7]
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.[8]
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.[9]
He is a cosponsor of the current Assault Weapon Ban, HR 1022.[10]
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.[11]
Industrial hemp
Grijalva cosponsored the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2005.
Darfur
Grijalva is an endorser of the Genocide Intervention Network.
Native Americans
Grijalva is a strong supporter of sovereignty and government-to-government relationship[s].[12] He supports the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and the protection of sites sacred to Native Americans.
George W. Bush
Grijalva supported H.Res. 635 to censure President George W. Bush.[13]
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.[14]
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]
Committees and assignments
Rep. Grijalva sits on the Committee on Natural Resources where he serves as chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee. He also sits on the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Small Business. He is the chair of the House Democratic Environmental Task Force and is the second vice-chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for the 110th United States Congress.
Criticism and controversies
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.[15]
Confrontation
In October 2006, Garrett O'Hara, a conservative Christian 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 another candidate.[16]
References
External links
- U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva official House site
- Raul Grijalva at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- CongressMerge — Raul Grijalva voting record
- Federal Election Commission — Mr. Raul M Grijalva campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Raul Grijalva issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Raul M. Grijalva campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Raul M. Grijalva (AZ) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Raul Grijalva profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Raul Grijalva voting record
- Raúl Grijalva for Congress official campaign site
- Arizona Democratic Party
- Videos of Grijalva discussing various issues March 22, 2006
| Arizona's current delegation to the United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| Senators | John McCain (R), Jon Kyl (R) |
| Representative(s) | Rick Renzi (R), Trent Franks (R), John Shadegg (R), Ed Pastor (D), Harry Mitchell (D), Jeff Flake (R), Raúl Grijalva (D), Gabrielle Giffords (D) |
| All delegations | Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming — American Samoa • District of Columbia • Guam • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Preceded by New District |
U.S. Representative Arizona 7th District 2003–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
