Latest news with #7thDistrict
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fresh-faced internet star Deja Foxx is dubbed 'the next AOC' who wants to revolutionize the Dems
Social media activist Deja Foxx has been dubbed the 'next AOC' as she runs to fill a vacant Congressional seat in Arizona. The 25-year-old made her name as an abortion rights activist and built a legion of over 200,000 Instagram followers with her snazzy social media posts and advocacy work. She launched her campaign for Arizona's 7th District seat in April, which is vacant following the death of Democrat Congressman Raúl Grijalva from cancer in March aged 77. Her efforts have quickly been compared to that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, when she ran on an ultra-liberal platform to unseat longtime New York Congressman Joe Crowley in 2019. AOC was four years older at the time than Foxx is now, and rode a wave of liberal outrage at President Trump during his first term to become a prominent member of 'The Squad' in Washington DC. She is running on a similar platform to the one that got AOC elected, and has made abortion rights and criticizing the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade - which codified the right to an abortion federally - central pillars of her campaign. Foxx also named AOC and firebrand Democrat Jasmine Crockett as her inspirations in Congress, saying they 'best represent the values of the party.' However, she remains a longshot to win the Democrat primary when voters head to the polls in July. Foxx gained just five percent support in a Public Policy Polling survey compared to 49 percent for Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of the deceased congressman they are running to replace. Despite trailing heavily in the race, Foxx has said she is undaunted by the polling numbers, and hopes to replicate AOC when she overcame huge odds to defeat Crowley six years ago. She has noted that her support is made up of small donors and her average contribution is around $29, saying she is rejecting big super PAC money like AOC before her. Although she is only 25, Foxx has made her youth a key selling point, telling Newsweek that 'if everybody who told me I was too young went and told somebody that they were too old, we would be in a vastly different, political structure right now.' 'Age is a defining factor in our political system, like it or not, it just is,' she said, and pointed out that the seat she is running for 'opened up because somebody passed away while in office.' The advanced age of many lawmakers in Washington DC has been growing as an issue in recent times, with Grijalva becoming the third Democrat in Congress to die in office this year. Since 2022, eight members of Congress have passed away. Foxx first rose to prominence as an abortion rights activist in 2017 when she was just 16 years old, as footage of her confronting then-Arizona Senator Jeff Flake at a town hall went viral. She berated Flake over cuts to Planned Parenthood, and catapulted her viral fame into becoming a social media influencer, often sharing similar clips of her confronting Republicans online. Recalling her start in politics, she told Newsweek: 'I was a teenager living with my boyfriend, working at a gas station. We relied on Title X funding', referring to the federal program that supports services like Planned Parenthood. She said she often used 'Planned Parenthood centers to get the birth control that I needed to take control of my body and my future when I had no money, no parents and no insurance. 'And this is just one of those ways that policymakers often disconnected from their constituents, vote without ever thinking about the consequences for real people.' She says on her campaign website she experienced homelessness during a turbulent adolescence, but rose to become the first in her family to attend college, earning a full ride to Columbia University in New York to study political science. While at Columbia, Foxx joined Kamala Harris' first run for the presidency in 2020 and went on to lead her 2020 campaign influencer strategy. 'What it taught me is a lesson that I took in to 2024 and that I'm taking into my own special election here in 2025 as I stick my head up to lead and to run — which was what it means to be fearless,' she said. After Harris lost the 2024 election in a landslide, Foxx said she decided to run for Congress because she 'felt a deep sense of responsibility.' 'It wasn't enough for me to just work the behind the scenes of campaigns or in front of the cameras," she said, adding 'I needed to give them someone they could get excited about, or we would stand to lose our generation.'
Al Arabiya
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Who Resigned in Protest Launches Run for Congress in Michigan
Bridget Brink, who stepped down as US ambassador to Ukraine this year in protest of what she said was President Donald Trump's unfair treatment of the war-torn country, announced Wednesday that she's running for Congress in one of Michigan's most competitive districts. The longtime diplomat, who previously held high-ranking State Department roles in other former Soviet and Eastern European countries, is casting herself as a public servant as she runs in next year's midterm elections when her fellow Democrats hope to win control of the House. 'My next mission: to fight for what's right here at home,' she said. Trump picked Brink to be the country's ambassador to Slovakia in 2019, and Biden tapped her to be ambassador to Ukraine shortly after Russia invaded the country in 2022. She resigned in April, saying in an op-ed published in the Detroit Free Press that Trump 'continues to pressure Ukraine and not Russia.' 'Appeasing a dictator never has and never will achieve lasting peace,' she said in a video announcing her candidacy. 'And it's just not who we are.' Having worked as a diplomat under five presidents, Brink said that if elected she would take on extremists and powerful influences such as Elon Musk. She criticized Republicans for cutting government funding and programs. Brink, who grew up in Grand Rapids, is running in the 7th District, which covers a swath of southern and central Michigan that includes the capital, Lansing, and is one of the state's most competitive. Last year, Army veteran Tom Barrett flipped the district for Republicans, delivering a key win for the party as it kept its House majority. He defeated Democrat Curtis Hill by almost four percent in the open race. The seat was previously held by centrist Democrat Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who successfully ran for US Senate in 2024.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP Rep Announces Sudden Retirement in Shock Twist for GOP Majority
Tennessee Rep. Mark Green announced his sudden retirement Monday before the end of his term, leaving Republicans with a slender majority. Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, revealed that he would be moving into the private sector once the House votes on any Senate changes to Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' The initial legislation squeaked by in the House last month, 215 to 214. 'Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up,' he said in a statement. Green didn't elaborate on the role, and his office didn't immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast. Upon Green's exit from the House, the GOP's majority will shrink to seven—219 to 212. A special primary election will take place within two months from that date, with a general election to follow a few weeks later. Green's seat—Tennessee's 7th congressional district—is reliably red, having been in Republican hands since 1983. A former Army flight surgeon in Afghanistan and Iraq who interviewed Saddam Hussein during Operation Red Dawn, Green later founded a staffing company for hospitals' emergency departments. He also launched two medical clinics in Tennessee and 'numerous' medical mission trips, his website states. Green was elected to the Tennessee state senate in 2012. He briefly ran for governor in 2018, but later launched a bid instead for his current seat when then-Rep. Marsha Blackburn announced her run for Senate. In February 2024, Green announced he would retire from Congress, but changed his mind two weeks later after Donald Trump said he would endorse him if he ran for reelection. That summer, Green drew attention over personal matters. While in the process of getting divorced, Green's then-wife accused him of having an affair. In a statement acknowledging a 'difficult time for my family and me,' Green didn't deny the claim, which the woman in question confirmed to Politico after Green's wife initially identified the wrong woman. 'We are currently going through divorce proceedings,' Green said then. 'As this is a deeply private matter, I ask for privacy. I will continue to serve this district with all I've got, as I have the last five and a half years.' Green's daughter, Catherine, subsequently told the Nashville Banner that he had not been living up to his public image. 'My dad sells himself in politics as being a Christian, conservative family man,' she said. 'His actions in the last, whatever, year have not been that.'
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Fox News
4 arrested for allegedly aiding escaped inmates in New Orleans
Print Close By Anders Hagstrom, Nate Foy Published May 25, 2025 Police made four more arrests in connection with a prison break in New Orleans this weekend, Fox News has learned. The four arrests make a total of 11 people who have been accused of helping the inmates either before, during or after their escape from the New Orleans Jail last week. The arrests include 18-year-old Patricia Vanburen, 27-year-old Tyshanea "Minnie" Randolph, 47-year-old Lenton Vanburen Sr., and 40-year-old Angel McKey. A source confirmed to Fox News that Vanburen Sr. is the father of one of the escaped inmates, Lenton Vanburen. Authorities executed a search warrant at a residence in New Orleans' 7th District in hopes to find the fugitive Vanburen, but he was not there. INMATE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH ORLEANS JUSTICE CENTER ESCAPE The four individuals arrested this weekend were accused of specifically assisting the younger Vanburen in evading the police. LOUISIANA POLICE ARREST THIRD ACCOMPLICE IN ORLEANS PARISH JAILBREAK The arrests come days after police apprehended another suspect accused of helping inmates on Friday. Police say Emmitt Weber, 28, helped two of the inmates after the jailbreak at the Orleans Parish Correctional Facility. As of Sunday, five of the 10 escaped inmates remain at large. The most recent arrest was made when Corey Boyd was taken into custody Tuesday. The other inmates recaptured are Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, Dkenan Dennis and Gary Price. Two others — Casey Smith and Cortnie Harris — have been arrested for allegedly aiding the escapees. Another woman, Connie Weeden , 59, allegedly gave cash to Donald via a cellphone app. She is charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact. The following fugitives are still at large: Vanburen Jr., 27, faces charges of illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, obstruction of justice and introducing contraband in prison. Jermaine Donald, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice. Antoine Massey, 32, faces charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation. Derrick Groves, 27, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and battery of a correctional facility employee. Leo O. Tate Sr., 31, faces charges of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, illegal carrying of a weapon, motor vehicle theft and multiple drug counts. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Authorities have reminded the public that these men are considered armed and dangerous . Print Close URL
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic challenger drops his bid for SC's 7th District 1 month after announcing it
John Vincent, of Myrtle Beach, launched his campaign for South Carolina's 7th Congressional District on Thursday April 17, 2025, at Victors restaurant in Florence. (Photo courtesy of John Vincent's campaign) The first Democratic challenger for any of South Carolina's 2026 U.S. House races suspended his campaign Tuesday, less than a month after publicly launching his bid. John Vincent, who announced his candidacy April 17 in Florence, announced in a Facebook post Tuesday he was suspending his campaign to challenge 7th District Congressman Russell Fry for the seat that spans the Grand Strand and much of the Pee Dee. The decision comes exactly two months after Vincent filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission establishing his campaign. 'When we decided to enter the congressional race 60 days ago, the country was on fire, rule of law threatened and the needs of this district greater than ever. That has not changed,' Vincent wrote on Facebook. 'What is different for us, after an intense two months, is that the mood in this district, maybe the state, is apathetic.' Neither Vincent nor the state Democratic party responded Tuesday to requests for comment. When Vincent, a Myrtle Beach resident, officially kicked off his campaign at a restaurant in Florence, he told the SC Daily Gazette he felt certain he could pull off an upset. His tone changed in Tuesday's post. 'We can't win without people who believe, and this district is not close today,' he said. Navy veteran hopes to be first Democrat this century to represent Grand Strand, Pee Dee in Congress The closest a Democrat has gotten to winning the 7th District since South Carolina gained it back following the 2010 census was in 2012, the first election with the recrafted voting map. That year, Democrat Gloria Bromell Tinubu received 44% of the vote, losing to Tom Rice, then-chairman of Horry County Council. Rice, who angered Republicans in the ruby red district for voting to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021, was ousted by Fry. The 40-year-old won re-election in November with 65% of the vote, the most decisive win for the seat this century. Vincent, a Navy veteran who retired in 2003 as command master chief petty officer — one of the branch's highest ranks for enlisted sailors — was hoping to become the first Democrat to represent the Grand Strand since it was part of the state's 6th District. Jim Clyburn, the state's lone Democrat in Congress, has represented the reconfigured 6th District since 1992. In Tuesday's post, Vincent said he's received positive feedback, but his crowds are small, and contributions are coming in small batches — probably from 'people who can barely afford it.' Vincent had $7,500 in his campaign account as of March 31, according to the latest FEC filings. When he spoke with the Daily Gazette last month, he said his account had grown to $30,000. That compares to more than $625,000 Fry had on hand at the end of March, according to his FEC filing. 'Those who can afford it, have a wait-and-see attitude, steeped in apathy that might not change until it's too late to win,' Vincent wrote. Albeit brief, Vincent's experience as a candidate doesn't bode well for the party in a state where the GOP is becoming more dominant with every election cycle. While he's not completely closing the book on his campaign, Vincent said he will focus on political activism so future Democrats eyeing a congressional bid don't have the same experience he did. 'We need to wake up this district, the state, and the country, to what is happening and what we could lose,' he said. 'We will aim to create better conditions for candidates.' Since Vincent announced his bid last month, two other Democrats have submitted paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for the U.S. House in next year's elections. Alex Harper, an assistant solicitor in York and Union counties, filed his statement of candidacy form on April 25 for the 5th District, represented by Ralph Norman since 2017. The Rock Hill developer is mulling a run for governor. Harper is participating in a meet-and-greet event Tuesday evening in Tega Cay. David Robinson II of Columbia filed with the FEC on Saturday to again challenge 2nd District Congressman Joe Wilson. The Lexington County Republican won re-election last November with 60% of the vote.
