Adelita Grijalva speaks to the media during a pre-election night party at the El Casino Ballroom in South Tucson, Arizona, July 15, 2025. Grijalva, the Pima County supervisor, won a special election for the state’s 7th District seat left vacant by the death of her father, longtime U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives failed again Wednesday to force Speaker Mike Johnson to be sworn in as a representative-elect Adelita Grijalva.
Johnson has said he is holding off on swearing in Grijalva — an Arizona Democrat who was elected in September to fill the seat of her father, Raúl Grijalva, who died in March — until he brings the House back into session, which he said will happen once Senate Democrats vote to reopen the government.
But Democrats have accused Johnson of delaying Grijalva’s swearing-in to prevent a vote on the Justice Department’s release of files on behind schedule sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Louisiana Republican has denied that accusation.
Grijalva has promised to be the 218th and final signature required on a bipartisan petition to force a vote on the measure.
Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona led his Democratic colleagues in trying to gain recognition in the House of Representatives to have Grijalva sworn in on Wednesday.
But Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher of Idaho, who presided over the House during the pro forma session, quickly relented and did not recognize the Democrats.
Several Democratic House leaders joined Stanton, including Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, the chair and vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Pete Aguilar and Ted Lieu of California, and Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona Freshman class representative.
“This is undemocratic,” Stanton shouted after the group was not recognized.
The attempt followed a similar failed attempt by Rep. Jim McGovern be recognized during Monday’s pro forma session in the House of Representatives.
Johnson blames the shutdown
Johnson was criticized by Democrats for swearing in two members of his own party, including Reps. Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine of Florida, during a pro forma session earlier this year.
“Speaker Johnson must stop dragging his feet and follow the same precedent he set when he swore in his Republican colleagues earlier this year,” Grijalva said in a statement.
“If he would just give me a date and time, I would be there,” she said.
Wednesday was the eighth day the government shutdownas the duel between Republican and Democratic stopgap legislation in the Senate once again failed to make progress.
“We will swear in Rep.-elect Grijalva as soon as the House returns to session if Chuck Schumer, Mark Kelly and (Ruben) Gallego decide to open the government,” a spokesman for Johnson’s office said Wednesday ahead of Democrats’ latest attempt, referring to the respective Senate Minority Leader from New York and the two Democratic Senators from Arizona.
“It is customary in the House of Representatives to swear in members while the chamber is in session,” the speaker said.
A day earlier, Johnson had told reporters: “We’ll swear them in when everyone gets back, it’s a ceremonial duty,” adding: “Look, we’ll arrange it, I think, as quickly as possible.”
