Progressive influencer Deja Foxx suffered a crushing defeat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District race, losing by more than 40 points—a blow that came as a shock to far-left activists.
A Heavy Defeat
The Associated Press called the race for 54-year-old Adelita Grijalva with only 65% of the vote counted. Grijalva, a Pima County Supervisor and daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, secured 62% of the vote. Meanwhile, Foxx—a 25-year-old digital figure with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers—finished with just 21%.
The outcome served as a sobering reality check for progressives who had hoped to topple a political dynasty with the rise of a social media star. Foxx had won endorsements from figures like David Hogg and the PAC “Leaders We Deserve.”
From TikTok to Politics
Foxx only became eligible to run for Congress in April, and her campaign leaned heavily on her “lived experience,” highlighting her upbringing in Section 8 housing, reliance on food stamps, and early activism for abortion rights. But it wasn’t enough.
Grijalva was the clear favorite from the outset, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. With strong political support, funding, and a powerful family name, she sailed to victory.
Foxx tried to frame the loss as a moral win. “I couldn’t be prouder of what we built together,” she said, recalling how she started “alone in her bedroom” and built a movement that she claimed “shattered expectations.”
Still, the numbers spoke for themselves. “She lost by 40,” one user on X posted, quoting an earlier Politico headline that had suggested Foxx might have “a real shot.”
Although Foxx raised over $670,000—mostly from small-dollar donors—and tried to reinvent field campaigning through social media, voters ultimately stuck with Grijalva. Both candidates shared nearly identical platforms—support for Medicare for All, tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, and opposition to Donald Trump—but the electorate leaned toward experience and local roots.
In her victory speech, Grijalva tied her win to her family’s legacy:
“This is not just a victory for me, but for our community and for the progressive movement my father started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago,” she said. “We delivered a message not just about fighting back against a dangerous and tyrannical administration—but about fighting for something: for our democracy, for the dignity of working people, and for the values that truly define Southern Arizona.”
Tensions in New York
Meanwhile, progressives are gearing up for other battles inside the Democratic Party. In New York, allies of Democratic Socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani are reportedly considering primary challenges against several congressional Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
A senior political advisor to Jeffries warned that anyone attempting to unseat the House’s top Democrat would face a “forceful and unrelenting” response, Fox News reported.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Ugandan-born democratic socialist from Queens, shocked the political world with his decisive victory over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. His win positioned him as a frontrunner to potentially become the city’s first Muslim mayor and signaled the party’s growing shift to the far-left.
Following his victory, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) declared: “This movement is bigger than one person, one election, or one city.” The group encouraged Mamdani’s supporters to join their local DSA or YDSA chapters and continue the fight alongside him and other socialist officials across the country.
Reports now suggest that DSA leaders are considering launching primary challenges not only against Jeffries, but also against other New York Democrats, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman, and Yvette Clarke.