Arizona Secretary of State Releases Official Canvass for September 23 Special Election for Congressional District 7

Today, Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released the official canvass for the September 23, 2025 special election for Congressional District 7. Although Adelita Grijalva, the Democratic candidate, won with nearly 70% of the vote, overwhelming opponents Daniel Butierez (Republican), Eduardo Quintana (Green), and Richard Grayson (No Labels), but Republican U.S. House Speaker refuses to swear her into office, knowing that she will be the deciding vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files, which may contain embarrasing details about President Donald J. Trump.

Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "Opponent says: Let Grijalva do her job"

Today, Saturday, September 27, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published a letter, "Opponent says: Let Grijalva do her job," by Richard Grayson:

I was the No Labels Party candidate in the Sept. 23 special election in Congressional District 7. With less than 1% of the vote, I conceded. Adelita Grijalva won an overwhelming victory to become the next U.S. representative.

In the last House special election, in Virginia’s District 11 on Sept. 9, Democrat James Walkinshaw was sworn in by Speaker Mike Johnson the very next day, Sept. 10. Yet days after Grijalva’s uncontested win, Republicans on Capitol Hill are stalling, saying she will not be sworn in for weeks. I am a progressive who opposes sexual harassment of women, believing that I share these values with Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana and Democratic nominee Adelita Grijalva.

This is unacceptable. The people of Congressional District 7 — stretching from Tucson through Southern Arizona, from Yuma County to Cochise County — have been without a voting member of the U.S. House for more than six months. Adelita Grijalva must be sworn in immediately as our congresswoman.

Richard Grayson

Richard Grayson Comes In Fourth in the Special Election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District

Daily Wildcat features "A breakdown of the candidates for the AZ-7 special election," including Richard Grayson of the No Lines [sic] Party

Today, Sunday, September 21, 2025, the University of Arizona newspaper The Daily Wildcat, published  "A breakdown of the candidates for the AZ-7 special election," an article by Jasmine Creighton featuring the candidates in the September 23 special election for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District, including Richard Grayson of the No Lines [sic] Party:

No Lines Party Candidate Richard Grayson is on the ballot through write-in after earning one vote.

Grayson believes in reducing student debt, affordable housing and combating climate change.

“If a congressperson truly wants to help, they must stop offering platitudes and start passing legislation: cancel or dramatically reduce student debt, invest in affordable housing, guarantee healthcare as a right, confront climate change with bold action and rein in predatory tech practices,” Grayson said in an official statement.

According to Polymarket, There is a 1% chance that Richard Grayson will win the September 23 special election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District

According to Polymarket, there is a 1% chance that Richard Grayson will win the September 23 special election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District. There is a 99% chance that Adelita Grijalva win the election. There is less than a 1% chance other candidates will win.

Tucson Sentinel article, "Early voting locations for S. Az congressional election opening Friday"

Today, Thursday, September 23, 2025, the Tucson Sentinel published an article, "Early voting locations for S. Az congressional election opening Friday" by Jim Nintzel.

Recent Articles on the AZ-07 Special Election Mentioning Richard Grayson's No Labels Party Candidacy

Jim Nintzel, "Early voting starts in Southern Az's CD 7 special election," Tucson Sentinel, August 27, 2025

Wayne Schutzky, "Arizona's 7th Congressional District candidates debate immigration, Gaza ahead of special election," KJZZ, August 27, 2025

John Washington, "Arizona District 7 voter guide: Grijalva and Butierez on water and homelessness ahead of special election, Arizona Luminaria, September 2, 2025

Arizona Daily Star column, "Political Notebook: Rule keeps two on CD7 ballot from debate," mentions No Labels Party Candidate Richard Grayson

Today, Friday, August 22, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star published a column by Tim Steller, "Political Notebook: Rule keeps two on CD7 ballot from debate," discusses No Labels Party candidate Richard Grayson and Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana's exclusion from the debate between the major party candidates in the September 23, 2025 special election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District.

Two candidates who will appear on the ballot for the special election in Congressional District 7 won’t be part of Tuesday’s televised debate.

Eduardo Quintana, of Tucson, is the Green Party candidate, and Richard Grayson, of Apache Junction, is the No Labels candidate. Neither one of them got 1% of the total votes cast in the July 15 primary election.

Under a rule adopted by the debate hosts, the Arizona Media Association and the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission, that means they are not invited. The two candidates who won their primaries and did reach that threshold were Democrat Adelita Grijalva and Republican Dan Butierez. They’ll debate at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at Arizona Public Media. It will be broadcast live on Arizona Public Media and possibly other stations, and the public is not invited to attend live. Quintana said he considers the rule “unfair,” noting that one percent of the primary vote is “more than all of our registered voters.”

Quintana is a Raytheon retiree and environmental activist who ran for U.S. Senate as the Green Party’s candidate in 2024. “The main reason I’m running is because of the Palestinian question,” Quintana said. “Our country is carrying out an illegal genocide with Israel.” “I want to use this campaign to bring that issue to the fore, as well as other issues that are important to us,” he said.

The Green Party’s slogan, he noted, is “People, planet, peace.” Beyond wanting the United States to cut off aid to Israel, Quintana said, he supports healthcare-for-all and a Green New Deal.

Grayson’s candidacy is a little — let’s say a lot — less earnest. He’s a perennial candidate who has the distinction of having run in states across the country. This time, he ran in part to tweak the No Labels party. Last year, the party won a judicial order preventing him and others from running as primary candidates under the No Labels banner. This year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling, opening the door for Grayson and others to pursue the party’s nomination.

He barely won it: One voter in Cochise County wrote him in, the only valid vote for a No Labels candidate in the primary. Grayson’s sincere political beliefs more or less align with the Democratic Party, he said, and he expects Grijalva to win the race and replace her father, Raul Grijalva, who died March 13. “It’s fun to be on the ballot. This is a hobby. I’m an old man,” Grayson said. “If anyone wants to vote for me, I assume it will be a mistake or they hate the other candidates on the ballot, or they’re mentally ill.”

Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "Arizona No Labels Party is not Andrew Cuomo’s No Labels"

Today, August 20, 2025, the Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com published a letter by Richard Grayson, the No Labels Party candidate for Congress in the September 23 special election in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District:

As the first Arizona No Labels Party candidate to appear on the ballot — in the September 23 special election for the state’s 7th Congressional District — I want to make something clear: Arizona’s No Labels Party has no connection with the national group of the same name. That organization has endorsed Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who resigned in 2021 amid a sexual harassment scandal, in the New York City mayoral race.
Our state party’s new chair, former Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson, has already emphasized this separation. Although I initially opposed his proposal to change our party’s name, I now realize I was wrong. I do not want to be linked with Andrew Cuomo in any way.
I am a progressive who opposes sexual harassment of women, believing that I share these values with Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana and Democratic nominee Adelita Grijalva.

Richard Grayson

Richard Grayson Letter Opposing Changing No Labels Party's Name in Arizona Republic

Today, Sunday, August 10, 2025, The Arizona Republic published a letter by Richard Grayson opposing the proposed name change for the Arizona No Labels Party.

Different titles appeared on the versions at AZCentral.com and Yahoo News..

Ballot Access News also had a story by Richard Winger on Grayson's opposition to the proposed name change.

KJZZ radio story "The No Labels Party in Arizona plans to change its name. Critics say it can't do that" mentions Richard Grayson's opposition

Today, Monday, August 4, 2025, KJZZ had a story by Wayne Schutzky, "The No Labels Party in Arizona plans to change its name. Critics say it can't do that," mentioning Richard Grayson's opposition to the proposed name change.

State Affairs publishes article, "No Labels CD7 candidate in it for kicks," on Richard Grayson's 2025 run for Congress in Arizona

Today, Monday, July 28, 2025, State Affairs published an article by Kiera Riley, "No Labels CD7 candidate in it for kicks," about Richard Grayson's making the ballot in the September 23, 2025 special general election for Congress in Arizona's Seventh Congressional District as the first No Labels Party candidate in the state.

EECTIONS

No Labels’ CD7 candidate in it for kicks

Kiera RileyJul 28, 2025

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A No Labels candidate will appear on a general election ballot for the first time after Richard Grayson, a write-in candidate, received the single vote necessary to clear the primary. 

Grayson does not seek office in earnest. His hobby for more than four decades has been running for kicks, and, in the process, he exposes loopholes in state election laws. 

As for No Labels, Grayson paints the move as more of a “revenge” on the party that battled in court to prevent any candidate, aside from a hand-picked presidential contender, from running under the party’s banner. 

The district court originally agreed, finding that a forced association between the party and its candidates burdened its rights. However, in a ruling earlier this month, the 9th Circuit overturned the decision, finding that participation by party members in the democratic process outweighed any alleged injury to No Labels. 

The ruling clears the way for more No Labels candidates beyond Grayson in the 2024 primary and general. Though so far, they are few and far between. 

A former Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Stephen Neal, switched his party affiliation on his statement of interest to No Labels days ago in an effort to appeal to voters of all affiliations. 

 “I felt that it shared the value of bringing people together,” Neal said. 

Gaining ballot access is another beast, though. Unlike a write-in candidate, to seek a spot in the primary as a No Labels candidate, an individual would have to gather a fourth of 1% of total qualified signers in the state as of Jan. 2, 2026. 

In 2024, the minimum number of signatures for a statewide race of a No Labels candidate was 1,288. There are currently 31,905 people registered with the party.

As for Grayson, the official canvass for CD7 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, but Grayson has already received emails from Pinal and Pima counties confirming his spot on the general election ballot. 

“As for my candidacy, I don’t intend to do anything,” Grayson said. “I think Adelita Grijalva will make a fine Congresswoman. I’ve been doing more work for her campaign than my own.” 

Have questions or comments? Contact Kiera Riley on X @kiera_riley or at kriley@stateaffairs.com

Sample Ballot in Special General Election for Arizona's Seventh Congressional District Includes No Labels Party Candidate Richard Grayson

Today we got a sample ballot from Pinal County's Elections office that includes us as the No Labels Party candidate along with Democratic Party candidate Adelita Grijalva, Republican Party candidate Daniel Francis Butierez, Sr., and Green Party candidate Eduardo Quintana. We were told the results are unofficial until the Official Canvass is published at 10 AM on Thursday, July 31, 2025, but the short deadline in the special election required us to proofread and approve how our name is listed on the ballot.

Arizona Luminaria article on AZ-07 congressional candidates' position on immigration includes No Labels Party candidate Richard Grayson

Today, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, Arizona Luminara published an article by John Washington, "Before you vote: The border politics of each candidate in Arizona’s special election," that mentions Richard Grayson:

Fiction writer and perennial candidate for Congress, Grayson said he was running with the No Labels party to “sabotage them.” Accusing the party of running as “spoilers,” he worries they will soon start to make regular appearances on the ballot in Arizona.

“I particularly hate the No Labels people,” Grayson said.

As a candidate for the presidential primary race in 2012, Grayson told Tucson Weekly that Republicans should be deported to the 18th century.

Grayson called running for Congress “a hobby” — he also ran for Congress in Alaska in 2024 and he is running for Congress in Arizona’s 5th Congressional District in 2026 — and said current immigration politics were “insane.”

“I’m outraged by people having no due process,” he said.

He said that deporting people is against America’s own interest, noting the dropping birth rate among native-born Americans. “They think we’re going to make babies all of a sudden, force people to make babies like the ‘Handmaid’s Tale’?”

He added, about immigrants: “We need these people.”

“Most of the undocumented people I know are better Americans than a lot of the native-born residents I know.”

Message to immigrants in the district: “It’s time to hit the panic button for democracy. It’s like the building is burning and you are talking like, ‘Oh, we should redecorate.’ It seems like no one has the urgency of the moment.”

Arizona Luminaria article on AZ-07 congressional candidates' residences mentions No Labels Party candidate Richard Grayson

Today, Monday, June 16, 2025, Arizona Luminara published an article by Becky Pallack and John Washington, "Half the candidates in Southern Arizona’s congressional special election don’t live in District 7," that mentions Richard Grayson:

Richard Grayson is running as a No Labels write-in candidate and has previously been registered with the Green and Democratic parties. He lives in Apache Junction in District 5. On June 6, he told Arizona Luminaria, “I believe today was the first time I ever set foot in the district.” Grayson describes running for Congress as his hobby, and he has previously run in Arizona, Florida, Wyoming and Alaska.

“I believe my not living in any part of the district would be an advantage, as I would not favor any part of the district over another. Tucson, Tolleson, Yuma, Nogales — they’re all the same to me!” he said in an email.