Progressive activist and influencer Deja Foxx suffered a decisive defeat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, losing by over 40 points to Adelita Grijalva. With 65% of the vote counted, the Associated Press called the race for Grijalva, who secured 62% compared to Foxx’s 21%. Despite Foxx’s strong online presence and endorsements from progressive groups and figures, voters overwhelmingly favored the well-established Grijalva, daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva.
Foxx, 25, built her campaign around personal experience—growing up in poverty, relying on food stamps, and becoming active in abortion rights advocacy. Though she raised over $670,000, largely from grassroots donors, and leveraged nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, her strategy failed to gain traction among local voters. Grijalva, backed by influential Democrats like Bernie Sanders and AOC, maintained a significant advantage in name recognition and political support.
Both candidates promoted similar progressive platforms, including support for Medicare for All and environmental justice. However, Grijalva’s deep community ties and political lineage gave her the edge. In her victory speech, she emphasized continuing her father’s legacy and fighting for the people of Southern Arizona.
Meanwhile, a progressive push is growing in New York, where democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s recent mayoral primary win has inspired talks of challenging top House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mamdani’s allies, emboldened by his upset victory, are looking to expand their influence.
However, Jeffries’ camp has warned of a strong counteroffensive against any primary attempts, signaling intensifying battles within the Democratic Party between its progressive and establishment wings.
