Progressive influencer Deja Foxx suffered a decisive defeat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, losing by more than 40 points in a result that shocked far-left activists.
The Associated Press called the race for 54-year-old Adelita Grijalva with just 65% of the vote counted. Grijalva, a Pima County Supervisor and daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, ultimately secured 62% of the vote, according to Trending Politics. Foxx, a 25-year-old social media figure with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, finished with only 21%.
The loss highlighted the difficulty progressives face in trying to unseat a long-standing political dynasty with a social media-driven campaign. Foxx, who only became eligible to run for Congress in April, had high-profile endorsements from David Hogg and the PAC “Leaders We Deserve.” Her campaign focused on her personal story: growing up in Section 8 housing, relying on food stamps, and early activism for abortion access.
Despite this, Grijalva was the clear favorite, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. Name recognition, funding, and party support gave her an insurmountable advantage. Foxx framed the loss as a moral victory, reflecting on starting her campaign “alone in her bedroom” and creating a movement that “shattered expectations.”
Even with more than $670,000 raised from mostly small-dollar donors and a campaign leveraging social media, Foxx’s strategies weren’t enough. Both candidates shared similar progressive platforms—supporting Medicare for All, tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, and opposing Donald Trump—but voters favored the familiar Grijalva name.
In her victory speech, Grijalva honored her father and the community he served. “This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago,” she said. “We delivered a message rooted not just in fighting back against a dangerous administration—but in fighting for our democracy, the dignity of working people, and the values that define Southern Arizona.”
Meanwhile, in New York, progressive forces are eyeing potential primary challenges to Democratic House leadership. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Ugandan-born democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, secured a decisive victory over former Governor Andrew Cuomo and nine others in NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary. His win positions him as a potential first Muslim mayor of New York City and reflects the growing influence of far-left progressives within the Democratic Party.
Following Mamdani’s victory, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) called for broader engagement: “This movement is bigger than one person, election, city, or organization. We encourage all inspired by the Zohran campaign to join their local DSA or YDSA chapter so we can continue to fight alongside Zohran and DSA elected officials nationwide.”
DSA leaders are reportedly considering primary challenges against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other NYC Democrats, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman, and Yvette Clarke. Jeffries’ senior advisors have promised a “forceful and unrelenting” response to any attempts to unseat him next year.