It'll be a fast and furious race to fill the congressional seat formerly held by the late Raúl Grijalva, who died earlier this month after 22 years in office.

The big picture: His death triggered a special election for the vacant seat representing the 7th Congressional District, which covers parts of Tucson and southwestern Arizona, and juts into the West Valley.

• The primary will be July 15 and the general election on Sept. 23.

What we're watching: Grijalva's daughter, Adelita, is widely expected to run but said she won't make any announcements about the race until after her father's funeral today.

• Former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez already announced his candidacy, while Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said last week he's "strongly considering" it.

The field isn't set yet, but three major candidates are expected to vie for the Democratic nomination in the overwhelmingly blue district.

Adelita Grijalva has long been viewed as a potential successor to her father.

• She serves on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, to which she was first elected in 2020.
• Before 2022's end, she'd served 20 years on the Tucson Unified School District governing board.

Fontes was elected Maricopa County recorder in 2016, ousting longtime Republican incumbent Helen Purcell.

• He lost his re-election in 2020 but was elected two years later as secretary of state.
• He's been an outspoken and at times pugnacious advocate for voting rights.

Daniel Hernandez, a member of a Tucson political family, served three terms in the House from 2017 to 2022.

• In 2022, he ran for the Tucson-based 6th Congressional District, losing the Democratic primary to Kirsten Engel.
• Hernandez first achieved prominence in 2011 when he provided critical first aid to then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords after the mass shooting that killed six people and gravely wounded her.

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Attention procrastinators: There are fewer than three weeks left to file your taxes.

Zoom in: While paying taxes is hardly an enjoyable experience, keep in mind it could be worse — at a 2.5% flat rate, Arizona is tied with North Dakota for the lowest state income tax among those that have one.

Zoom out: Our California neighbors have the highest top marginal income tax rate at 13.3%.

Congress' maneuver to prevent a government shutdown earlier this month came at the cost of more than $50 million for Arizona projects.

Why it matters: The funding would have supported the real-time crime center in Phoenix, additional police vehicles in Tucson, new water wells in Chandler and more.

Catch up quick: Congressional Republicans crafted a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through September, and President Trump signed it March 14 — just before the government was set to run out of money.

• The stopgap funding bill maintained most spending but axed about $13 billion in earmarks that would have gone toward local projects requested by members of Congress.

How it works: House members can request federal dollars for specific local projects as part of the annual budgeting process. These typically include pricey infrastructure investments like bridge repairs, water line replacement or highway expansion.

Zoom in: Last year, during the budgeting process for fiscal year 2025, Democratic U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton, Raúl Grijalva and Ruben Gallego and Republican U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani made community project requests.

• Through the budget process that wrapped up last summer, the members collectively secured preliminary approval of more than $50 million, with Ciscomani accounting for the lion's share at $34 million.
• His projects included $7 million to repave and replace parts of Buffalo Soldier Trail in Sierra Vista, $7 million to repair and maintain bridges in Oro Valley and $4.4 million for new police vehicles in Tucson.

Friction point: Ciscomani was the only member of Arizona's delegation who secured earmark funds and then supported the continuing resolution that killed them.

• In a statement to Axios, his spokesperson, Andres Kardonski, said the congressman voted for the resolution "to avoid a government shutdown that would have cost millions of dollars, harmed his constituents and disrupted critical services millions of Americans rely on."

Go deeper

🗳 President Trump issued an executive order on elections, which adds a proof-of-citizenship requirement to federal voter registration forms. (Axios)

• The Arizona Secretary of State's Office tells Axios it's unclear how that will affect the roughly 40,000 "federal-only" voters in the state who registered without proof of citizenship using the federal form.
• Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and AG Kris Mayes are considering whether to sue over the order. (Votebeat)

⚾ Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career and will miss the 2025 season. (Arizona Sports)

🏀 Former NBA player and UofA star Mike Bibby, who helped lead the Wildcats to the 1997 men's basketball championship, is the new head coach at Sacramento State. (ESPN)

👀Discover new local events.

Phoenix Global Forum at Phoenix Convention Center April 8-9: Join them for two days of discussion on AI, biotech, space and more. Register now.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Wallace and Ladmo still have a special place in many of our hearts, and the Phoenix City Council is poised to honor them with a ceremonial street sign.

State of play: The council is scheduled to vote at today's meeting on a proposal to install a ceremonial street sign at the intersection of McKinley Street and 1st Avenue dubbing it "Wallace and Ladmo Way."

• The intersection is near the former KPHO studio where "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" was once taped.

Jeremy's thought bubble: I was 9 years old when "The Wallace and Ladmo Show" went off the air and was probably from the last generation of Arizonans to grow up watching it. I'm happy to see its memory live on.

• Yes, but: Sadly, I never got a Ladmo Bag.

Thanks for tuning in!