Anti-Establishment Sentiment May Propel Deja Foxx to Win Race for CD7 in Tucson

Democrat Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old activist and social media content creator, may upend the race for deep-blue Congressional District 7.

Her bold pitch to voters is to send the youngest member of Congress to Washington to represent a generation that has lived through the policies that others only debate.

Speaking to the Democrats of Greater Tucson on June 17, 2025, Foxx outlined her unconventional path from teenage homelessness to congressional candidate, emphasizing how her personal struggles with poverty, housing instability, and navigating social services have shaped her political worldview.

Coming from behind

She just might win. A Public Policy Polling survey in April showed Grijalva with 49% support and Foxx with 5%. However, Foxx is touting her own new poll, which says she has “surged” 25 percentage points in recent weeks and has now closed Grijalva’s lead to within 8 points.

“Big Media has begun to sharpen its focus on this youngster who some believe could be the next AOC or Zohran Mamdani,” wrote Phil Boas in the Arizona Republic.

Early voting began on June 18, 2025, at 58 vote centers for the Special Primary Election and will conclude on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

Foxx’s top political issues are:

• Creating affordable housing.
• Advocating a pro-choice view of reproductive rights.
• Defending SNAP, Medicaid and Social Security.
• Enacting Medicare for All.
• Increasing funding for childcare and early education.
• Opposing extreme immigration enforcement.
• Engaging Gen Z voters, aged 18 to 28.

There are five Democratic candidates for CD7, including Deja Foxx, Adelita Grijalva, Patrick Harris Sr., Daniel Hernandez and Jose Malvido. Democrats of Great Tuson has videos of all five Democratic candidates, thanks to DGT Program Director Michael Bryan.

New Energy Bubbling Up

Foxx aims to capitalize on the current anti-establishment energy bubbling up from voters who have voted for the Grijalva name on the ballot for 23 years. The New York Times quotes Beatrice Torres of Tucson, age 70, who is “tired of voting for Grijalvas.”

The Times adds that Foxx believes that “the Democratic Party needs to break with staid, legacy candidates who have left the party powerless in Washington, and are being scorned by voters across the country.”

From Homelessness to Columbia University

Raised by a single mother in Tucson who worked multiple jobs – from flower delivery to house cleaning – Foxx experienced “hidden homelessness” as a teenager when her mother struggled with addiction. She moved in with a Mexican immigrant family on Tucson’s south side, where the father worked as a landscaper, and the mother cleaned houses.

“These are folks who did not have a whole lot extra to give, but found a place for me in their home,” Foxx said. “That is something that our country and people, like Trump, could learn a little something about from immigrants like them.”

The family relied on SNAP benefits, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing – experiences that gave her firsthand knowledge of policies that Republicans in Washington want to destroy. She worked at a QuikTrip gas station for $10 an hour and eventually became the first in her family to attend college, earning a full scholarship to Columbia University.

Today, Foxx is a professional keynote speaker, with fees starting at $8,000 at Key Speakers and rising to $20,000 at AAA Speakers.

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For Further Reading:

Deja Foxx Wants to Make History as the First Gen Z Member of Congress, written May 11, 2025, by David Gordon.

AZ’s CD7 Special Election Race Forecast: Odds and Ends, written on June 18, 2025, by Michael Bryan.

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Comparison of Experience

• Foxx, 25, served on the Board of Planned Parenthood Arizona but has never held elected office. At 19, she was the youngest staffer on Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, serving as an influencer and surrogate strategist. She works for companies like Ford Models on social media campaigns, promoting brands such as Prada, Nike, and MAC Cosmetics.
• Grijalva, 54, also spoke to Democrats of Greater Tucson on June 16, 2024. In 2002, Grijalva was elected to the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) Governing Board, the largest school district in Tucson and served for 20 years. Most recently, Grijalva was elected to the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 2020 and served for four years. She was the first Latina and only the second woman to serve as Chair. She is the daughter of the late Congressman Raul Grijalva.

Viral Activism Launched Political Career

Foxx’s entry into politics began in high school when she challenged the outdated sex education curriculum at University High School. At 15, she began attending school board meetings and eventually organized successful efforts to rewrite the curriculum in Arizona’s largest school district.

Her activism gained national attention in 2017 when, at age 16, she confronted then-Senator Jeff Flake at a town hall about his vote to defund Planned Parenthood. The exchange went viral, putting the teenager “on even footing in the public discourse with the United States Senator,” as she described it.

The moment launched her into national advocacy work, leading to appearances on CNN and opportunities to lobby on Capitol Hill. She later served on the board of Planned Parenthood Arizona as a teenager and was arrested protesting on Capitol Hill following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Campaign Built on Social Media

Foxx entered the congressional race on April 2 and has since raised nearly $500,000 from more than 15,000 contributors, with an average donation of less than $28. Her campaign is also endorsed by LPAC, an organization of LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates, Tucson Families Fed Up PAC and nationally-known youth activist David Hogg.

Her digital strategy has proven effective: debate clips from the campaign have garnered more than 10 million views across TikTok, where she has 390,000 followers. She noted that 39% of adults under 30 get their news from TikTok, making it essential for reaching younger voters.

Policy Positions Reflect Personal Experience

Foxx’s policy platform draws heavily from her lived experience with government programs. She advocates for:

• Healthcare: Protecting Medicaid, citing her mother’s recent skin cancer diagnosis that was treated without creating family medical debt
• Education: Increased funding for Title I schools and fair wages for teachers, whom she credits as “second parents”
• Israel-Gaza war: Supporting Palestinian statehood and a two-state solution. At the same time, she says Israel has the right to exist and defend itself. But she warned, “Things have gone way too far,” and she would oppose funding for weapons used to harm civilians disproportionately.
• Workers’ Rights: Supporting working-class Americans who are “one car breakdown away from not making rent”

Addressing Age and Representation

When challenged about her emphasis on age in politics, Foxx pointed to practical concerns:

• Three House Democratic vacancies due to members passing away in office have left hundreds of thousands without representation during crucial votes.
• She noted that Republicans passed Trump’s hideous budget bill (passed by only four votes on July 3) while her constituents face cuts to healthcare and SNAP benefits.

“We need as a party to bring in a new generation of leaders,” she said. “One in five Americans is Gen Z, and yet we have a single member of Congress. That’s a real representation issue.”

The Stakes of the Special Election

The Arizona 7th District special election represents an opportunity for Democrats to fill a vacant seat in a district that hasn’t seen a competitive congressional race in 22 years.

“There are people in this race who inherited a legacy last name and donor list, an advantage I will just never have,” she said. “But we have built a movement over the past few months.”

If elected, Foxx would become the youngest member of Congress and the first woman from Generation Z to serve in the House of Representatives. Her campaign represents a test of whether authentic personal narrative, grassroots organizing, and digital engagement can overcome traditional political advantages in the current political environment.