Arizona Special Election: Social Media Star Deja Foxx Loses To Adelita Grijalva

Forbes

16-07-2025

A popular social media influencer, Deja Foxx, lost Tuesday night's Democratic primary for the congressional seat vacated by the death of Rep. Raul Grijalva in March to the late congressman's daughter, Adelita Grijalva—who had received backing from the party's leadership and prominent progressive lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen Bernie Sanders.
Democratic U.S. congressional candidate Adelita Grijalva poses for a selfie with supporters at a ... More primary election-night party at El Casino Ballroom in South Tucson, Arizona. Getty Images
The Associated Press called the race for Grijalva at around 11:20 p.m. EDT and with 65% of the votes counted she leading the social media star by more than 41 points.
Foxx, a 25-year-old political content creator who has over 395,000 followers on TikTok, is running for Democratic nomination in Arizona's 7th District after only turning the minimum age to serve in Congress in April.
Fifty-four-year-old former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, was widely seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace her father, but recent internal polling from Foxx's campaign first published by Politico suggests the race is much closer—Foxx was only eight points behind Grijalva in polling done in May.
Foxx was one of the youngest campaign staffers on Kamala Harris' first presidential campaign in 2020, and has continued to produce political content on liberal issues.
Foxx was also chosen as one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 in media for her work on social media campaigns for companies including Prada and Nike, as well as her political work.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., a 22-year veteran of Congress, died in March from complications from his cancer treatment, leaving a key seat open in a swing state Trump won with 52% of the vote in 2024. Arizona's 7th district is heavily Democratic leaning, according to the Cook Political Report, meaning whoever wins Tuesday's primary will be a heavy favorite in the Sept. 23 general election. Republicans only hold a slim majority in the House and are keen to pick up any available seats. Tangent
Foxx is also one of the candidates endorsed by Leaders We Deserve, the political organization founded by former Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg with the intention of winning primary elections against sitting Democrats 'unwilling or unable to meet the moment and are asleep at the wheel.' Hogg, another Gen Z political activist who rose to prominence after surviving the Parkland shooting in 2018, raised as much as $20 million for these primary campaigns, The New York Times reported in April. The organization also endorsed Zohran Mamdani, who came from behind to win the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral election against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month. Mamdani was behind in the polls before defeating the former governor and Democratic Party mainstay by 12 points. Hogg left his DNC position after clashing with leadership over his primary efforts, and said he would not run for reelection after an internal committee voided his prior election to vice chair in June.
Hogg's PAC is dedicated to 'electing young progressives,' but both Foxx and Grijalva are vying for progressive support in the primary campaign. Raul Grijalva was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and reliable supporter for liberal causes in the House. Adelita Grijalva has sought to portray herself similarly, and the candidates' policy positions are similar. Both Foxx and Grijalva have extensive policy platforms dedicated to opposing President Donald Trump's domestic agenda, expanding affordable housing and fighting for environmental justice and tribal sovereignty. Foxx's campaign also points to support for other popular left-wing causes, including Medicare for All. But Grijalva has also racked up endorsements from major progressive organizations and leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as well as both of Arizona's sitting Democratic senators, Sen. Mark Kelly and Sen. Ruben Gallego. Foxx has centered her criticism on establishment Democrats circling the wagons for establishment candidates, noting that three senior Democratic members of Congress died within the first six months of Trump's second term, handing Republicans a larger advantage.