Daniel Hernández Jr., a former intern for former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) who served in the Arizona legislature, announced on Monday he is running for former Rep. Raúl Grijalva’s (D-Ariz.) seat in Congress.
“I’m running for Congress in AZ-07! I’ve spent my life fighting for Southern Arizona—protecting our healthcare, lowering costs for families, standing up to extremists, and defending our democracy,” Hernández said in a post on X. “Now, I’m taking that fight to Washington.”
Hernández, a former member of the Arizona state House of Representatives, was present when Giffords was targeted in a 2011 assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona.
Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting in a supermarket parking lot. Six people were killed and Giffords, the wife of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), was shot in the head.
Hernández applied pressure to Giffords’s wound and is credited with saving her life.
Hernández’s campaign launch comes just days before Grijalva’s funeral, The Arizona Republic noted.
Grijalva, who served in the house for more than two decades, died earlier this month after a battle with cancer. He was the longest-serving member of Arizona’s congressional delegation.
Hernández said he wants to honor Grijalva’s years of service, but also told the Republica he is a pragmatist who wants to “get things done.”
“I’m running for Congress because we can’t let all these hardships stop us either. Our democracy isn’t always easy, and it doesn’t always get things right, but it’s always worth standing up and fighting for,” Hernández said in a video announcing the launch of his campaign.
