Adelita Grijalva, a county supervisor, claimed victory late Tuesday in the special election to fill Arizona's 7th Congressional District, further shrinking the Republicans' majority of the House of Representatives.

The Republicans' majority in the U.S. House of Representatives further shrunk on Tuesday when Democrat Adelita Grijalva won Arizona's 7th Congressional District. File Photo Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI UPI

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Adelita Grijalva, a county supervisor, claimed victory late Tuesday in the special election to fill Arizona's 7th Congressional District, further shrinking the Republicans' majority of the House of Representatives.

"Thank you, #AX07," she said on X, "We made history -- juntos. Now, let's get to work!"

Grijalva, 54, was widely expected to beat Republican Daniel Butierez, 58, for the seat left vacant in March following the death of her father, Raul Grijalva, the 77-year-old congressman who died from complications of cancer.

Unofficial election results from the office of Secretary of State Adrian Fontes show Grijalva trounced Butierez, securing more than 70% of the vote compared to his 28%.

Butierez, a small business owner, has conceded defeat.

"We gave it a heck of a run," he told supporters Tuesday night. "And where I'm at right now, the way I'm looking at this, I mean -- the homelessness out there the city wants, the homeless out there is what the city's going to have because that's what they're going to have with my opponent."

"If that's what they wanted, we can't argue with that."

Grijalva had campaigned to combat the "economic crisis" of the Trump administration, protecting rights and freedoms and defending Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, among other issues.

With her victory, the GOP's hold of the U.S. House of Representatives is whittled to 219-214, giving the Democrats more power in the chamber.

It also breathes life into a petition by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-W.Virginia, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to force a vote to the make public records related to deceased convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

According to the petition posted online, it needs only one more signature to meet the 218 required to force the vote, and Grijalva has said she will sign it once in office.

"This is as much about fulfilling Congress' duty as a constitutional check on this administration as it is about demanding justice for survivors," Grijalva said.

"The days of turning a blind eye to Trump must end."

The issue of the so-called Epstein files has dogged Trump for much of his second administration. Trump, a longtime associate of Epstein, has attempted to frame the issue as a "Democratic hoax."

Epstein died in 2019 from an apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He had pleaded guilty in 2007 to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.