Rep. Raúl Grijalva defeats Republican Luis Pozzolo in Arizona's 7th Congressional District

Veteran incumbent Rep. Raúl Grijalva defeated Republican challenger Luis Pozzolo, keeping his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District.

Grijalva, D-Ariz., was first elected to the U.S. House in 2002. The Associated Press called the race for Grijalva at 9:45 p.m. Tuesday.

The new 7th Congressional District is heavily Democratic. It replaces the 3rd Congressional District after districts were redrawn before this election cycle. The district outlines the southwestern part of the state along the California and Mexico borders, including parts of Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties and Tucson.

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Grijalva’s top issues include education, climate change, gun safety, campaign finance reform and criminal justice reform, among others. Read more about Grijalva’s positions in his responses to a candidate questionnaire from The Arizona Republic (Pozzolo did not respond).

Pozzolo, a first-time political candidate, named his top issues as jobs and economic growth, mining, school choice, and law and order, among others. He believes “traditional family values” are under attack, according to his website.

Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 7th Congressional District: Rep. Raúl Grijalva defeats Luis Pozzolo