Raúl Grijalva, the dean of Arizona’s congressional delegation who spent more than 40 years in public service, succumbed to lung cancer last week. He was 77.

His loss is felt by his family, friends, colleagues and constituents. But the search for his replacement has already began. Gov. Katie Hobbs has set a date for the special election to fill his empty spot in Congress and notable names like Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Adelita Grijalva, his daughter, and politician in her own right, have expressed interest in representing District 7.

This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Ron Hansen and Mary Jo Pitzl are joined by national politics reporter Laura Gersony.

Together they retrace Grijalva’s career and discuss what comes next in Congressional District 7. Later in the episode, Ron and Mary Jo break down the reality of what could transpire when his seat is filled and more about Ron's experiences interviewing Grijalva over the years.

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