House progressives hope Deja Foxx keeps going
By Michael Jones
When longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) died earlier this year, his death closed a defining chapter of progressive leadership in Southern Arizona. Over more than two decades in the House, Grijalva built a legacy grounded in immigrant rights, economic and environmental justice, and community-rooted politics, becoming a trusted voice for working-class families across the district and beyond.
Now, with his daughter Adelita Grijalva a week removed from securing the Democratic nomination to succeed him, that legacy appears poised to continue as a generational torch-passing at a time when the party is actively wrestling with how to bridge its past and future.
But as quick as House progressives were to celebrate younger Grijalva’s win, they were just as eager to salute Deja Foxx’s surprising second-place finish. Foxx, a 25-year-old reproductive rights activist, ran a scrappy campaign that earned over 20 percent of the vote and turned heads on the Hill. Progressive lawmakers praised her digital fluency and grassroots appeal, with several telling me they hope she stays in politics despite last week’s outcome.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the youngest female member of Congress, said that she was excited to welcome another progressive woman to the state’s delegation in Adelita Grijalva and touted the soon-to-be congresswoman’s long history of public service on a local board of supervisors and school district governing board.
“I also am really impressed with the campaign that Deja Foxx ran,” Ansari added. “I think that it’s extremely important for us to make sure that we are continuing to uplift young people in the Democratic Party and make sure that young people know that they will be elevated and encouraged to be in leadership. I hope she continues in politics as well.”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told me that Foxx had nothing to be ashamed of as the primary’s runner-up and that it was up to the party whether it recognized the value that candidates like her bring to the table.
“She’s got such a bright future,” Balint said. “I hope she inspires others to run.”
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) noted that Grijalva and Foxx’s combined vote share represented over 80 percent of the primary turnout, indicating that the movement’s policy proposals and message resonate with the party’s electorate.
“I think it sends a strong message to those of us here in Washington, D.C., and across the country, that Democratic primary voters are ready for bold progressive change,” Casar said. “They want us to really step up and support working-class people in a way that we haven’t in recent years.”
Foxx first gained national attention at age 16 after confronting former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) at a town-hall event over Planned Parenthood funding. A Columbia University graduate, she took a year off to work as the youngest staffer on Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Foxx went on to found GenZ Girl Gang, a digital-first organization for young women and non‑binary organizers, and built a social-messaging campaign focused on reproductive rights, student debt, and climate justice. This spring, she raised over $600,000 through grassroots donations to challenge Grijalva and secured an endorsement from David Hogg’s PAC, Leaders We Deserve. Her campaign was also the subject of the COURIER docuseries REPRESENT, which documented her trailblazing run and the pressures facing a young, digital-era candidate on the road to Congress.
But while Foxx’s candidacy was unique in many ways, it highlights a broader challenge facing young progressives who run against legacy-backed candidates or their political heirs. In districts like Arizona’s 7th, where long-standing relationships, deep community trust, and political infrastructure are firmly in place, insurgent campaigns face an uphill climb. Success is often tied to organizing power, coalition-building, and proving you can navigate the demands of Congress from day one. Voters may appreciate bold ideas and digital fluency. Still, when the stakes feel high, as they do now under Republican control, many gravitate toward candidates who feel familiar, tested, and rooted.
For future Gen-Z candidates like Foxx, the lessons are clear: experience still matters, legacy still resonates, and low-turnout elections still reward those who can mobilize voters online and on the ground. But her campaign also signals that the energy for change is real and rising. The question for the Democratic Party is whether it can evolve fast enough to meet the generation already knocking at the door.
As national reporters are inclined to do, many have wondered what message Foxx’s loss sends to the rest of the party and other influencer-turned-candidates like Kat Abughazaleh in Illinois and Isaiah Martin in Texas.
But Rep. Casar told a group of us that the story Foxx helped illuminate last week is one of anti-establishment, pro-progressive working-class voters electing candidates of their choice in big numbers. If Foxx and Grijalva weren’t proof enough, just look at Zohran Mamdani in New York City.
“I don’t think it’s about influencers,” he said. “I think it’s a story about how those that are willing to stand up to power and be progressive are doing very well in primaries here during the second Trump administration.”
Michael Jones is an independent Capitol Hill correspondent and contributor for COURIER. He is the author of Once Upon a Hill, a newsletter about Congressional politics.
