Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, won the Democratic primary in the special election for Arizona's 7th District.

Arizona's Rep. Raul Grijalva died in March at 77. His daughter, Adelita, is one step closer to taking up his mantle in Washington.

For more than two decades, much of Southern Arizona was represented by Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, a liberal stalwart who championed environmental causes, supported immigrant rights and advocated on behalf of indigenous communities.

The race to fill Raúl Grijalva's seat is expected to be a three-way contest, with the former congressman's daughter in the slight lead.

The contested special election primary between Adelita Grijalva, Deja Foxx and others highlighted broader intraparty divisions over age, experience and dynastic politics.

While Tuesday's special election in Arizona may not seem like the type of story to generate nationwide headlines, the race is getting eyes across the country for boiling down the current state of the Democratic Party into a single election.

The election to replace the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva is ultimately expected to send a Democrat to Capitol Hill, putting pressure on House GOP leaders.

Adelita Grijalva is the front-runner to replace her father in Congress but faces an unexpectedly competitive primary featuring a young social-media-savvy newcomer.

The next test of who Democratic voters want to see leading the party will take place Tuesday in southwest Arizona, where three leading candidates are offering competing visions in the primary to fill the late Rep.