Veteran Rep. Raúl Grijalva, one of Arizona's longest-serving members of Congress, died on Thursday, ending his decades-long career in public service and creating a vacancy in the state's representation on Capitol Hill.

The death of Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, a fierce progressive with a two-decade career in Congress, rocked the political world on Thursday.Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs must now call a special election within 72 hours of Grijalva’s official vacancy in order to start the process of determining his successor.

Grijalva spent half a century in public service and represented Arizona in Congress for more than two decades.