Progressive TikTok ‘Star’ Gets Crushe

Progressive activist Deja Foxx suffered a major defeat in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, losing by more than 40 points to Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva. The Associated Press quickly called the race, with Grijalva earning 62% of the vote compared to Foxx’s 21%.

Grijalva, daughter of the late Congressman Raúl Grijalva, entered the race as the frontrunner, bolstered by endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Arizona’s Democratic senators.

Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, received support from activist David Hogg and the PAC “Leaders We Deserve.” Despite her online popularity and energetic campaign, she struggled to connect with local voters.

Throughout her campaign, Foxx emphasized her personal story — growing up in Section 8 housing and becoming an early abortion rights activist. She raised over $670,000, largely from small donors, and described her campaign as a grassroots movement, though critics pointed out the decisive margin of defeat.

Grijalva’s long-standing family legacy and deep community ties proved pivotal. In her victory speech, she credited the win to Southern Arizona’s progressive roots, saying, “This is a victory for our community and the movement my father began more than 50 years ago.”

While Arizona’s progressives regroup, attention now turns to New York, where left-wing activists consider challenging established Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Jeffries’ allies have warned potential challengers of a strong pushback, but Democratic Socialists inspired by recent victories insist their progressive movement is “bigger than one person, one election, or one city.”