Skip to content

Arizona: Jeb Bush Endorses Matt Salmon; Raul Grijalva Backs David Schapira

State Senate Minority Leader David Schapira (above) picked up the endorsement of Rep. Raúl Grijalva. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
State Senate Minority Leader David Schapira (above) picked up the endorsement of Rep. Raúl Grijalva. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Two Arizona House candidates each picked up an endorsement that will likely help them in their contested primaries.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is endorsing former Rep. Matt Salmon in Salmon’s quest to return to Congress in Arizona’s 5th district. And on Monday, Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) announced he is backing state Senate Minority Leader David Schapira in his race for the 9th district seat.

Salmon is the frontrunner in the GOP primary against former state Speaker Kirk Adams. The winner of the primary will almost certainly win in the fall. Roll Call rates this race as Safe Republican.

“Voters are looking for candidates who stand up for what they believe in and can win, not by hiding their values but by sharing them with voters,” Grijalva said. “David is that candidate.”

Grijalva is something of a polarizing figure in Arizona Democratic politics. His 2010 boycott of the state over the state Legislature’s tough immigration policies alienated some moderate Democrats and many say contributed to the defeat of two Congressional incumbents in that year’s GOP wave. But Schapira is in a hotly contested primary against former state Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny and former state Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Roll Call rates that race as a Tossup.

Recent Stories

‘You talk too much’— Congressional Hits and Misses

Senators seek changes to spy program reauthorization bill

Editor’s Note: Congress and the coalition-curious

Photos of the week ending April 19, 2024

Rule for emergency aid bill adopted with Democratic support

Biden administration updates campus protections for LGBTQ students, assault victims