Daniel Butierez Sr.

Butierez was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1966, and describes himself in his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey as a third-generation Arizonan.[1] His career experience includes work as a contractor and construction worker. News coverage describes him as a painting company owner, and he says he owns two businesses.[5][1][2] He says he spent about 30 years pursuing legal relief after being imprisoned without what he describes as a valid conviction, until a judge ultimately ruled in his favor.[1]

Butierez was the Republican nominee in Arizona's 7th District in 2024, when, according to CBS News, he received more than one-third of the vote against Raúl Grijalva.[2] He won the July 2025 Republican primary in the special election and lost the September 23, 2025 general election to Adelita Grijalva, 68.9% to 29.4%. He conceded shortly after results began coming in.[2][3][5] He described a campaign plan to fund a program to help homeless people get back on their feet and to secure the border.[1][3] In 2026 he advanced unopposed from the July 21 Republican primary, receiving 21,934 votes.[5] According to his candidate survey, his campaign messages centered on homelessness, border security and what he calls corruption in local government.[1][3] He received 28.0% of the vote to Adelita Grijalva's 72.0%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[4]