Progressive TikTok ‘Star’ Gets Crushed In Election Bid
Progressive influencer Deja Foxx just got crushed in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, losing by more than 40 points in a blowout that stunned far-left activists.
The Associated Press called the race for 54-year-old Adelita Grijalva with only 65% of the vote counted.
Grijalva, a Pima County Supervisor and daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, won with 62% of the vote, Trending Politics reported. Foxx, a 25-year-old digital celebrity with nearly 400,000 TikTok followers, came in at just 21%.
The result was a reality check for progressives hoping to replace a political dynasty with a social media star. Foxx had high-profile endorsements from David Hogg and the PAC “Leaders We Deserve.”
She only became eligible for Congress in April. Her campaign leaned heavily on her “lived experience,” highlighting a childhood in Section 8 housing, dependence on food stamps, and early activism for abortion access.
But it did not work. Grijalva was the clear favorite from the start, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. Her name, funding, and party support helped her cruise to victory. Foxx tried to frame the loss as a moral win.
“I couldn’t be prouder of what we built together,” she said. She talked about starting “alone in her bedroom” and building a movement that “shattered expectations.”
Still, the numbers tell the story.
“She lost by 40,” one user on X posted, quoting a Politico headline that had once suggested Foxx might have a “real shot.”
Foxx raised over $670,000 from mostly small-dollar donors and tried to reinvent field campaigning through social media. It didn’t work.
Oh girl it was not even close lmao Grijalva cooked Deja Foxx pic.twitter.com/3UnHAWQQlb
— Meatball (@MiniMeatMikeB) July 16, 2025
Even though both candidates shared nearly identical platforms—supporting Medicare for All, tribal sovereignty, environmental justice, and opposing Donald Trump—voters went with the familiar name.
Grijalva had decades of local roots, and it showed. In her victory speech, she thanked her father and the voters who kept the legacy going.
“This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago,” she said.
“We delivered a message rooted not just in fighting back against a dangerous and tyrannical administration—but in fighting for something: for our democracy, for the dignity of working people, and for the values that truly define Southern Arizona.”
In New York there is an effort by progressives to primary the Democrat leader of the House.
Zohran Mamdani’s democratic socialist allies are reportedly considering primary challenges next year against several congressional Democrats in New York City, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
However, a senior political advisor to Jeffries has vowed that anyone attempting to unseat the top Democrat in the House during next year’s primaries will face a “forceful and unrelenting” response, Fox News reported.
Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born democratic socialist assemblyman from Queens, sent political shockwaves nationwide with his decisive victory two weeks ago over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary.
His win marks a significant step toward potentially becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor, but would also signal the Democratic Party’s increasing shift to the extreme far-left.
In the wake of Mamdani’s primary victory in June, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) highlighted that “this movement is bigger than one person, election, city, or organization.”
“We encourage all people inspired by the Zohran campaign to join their local DSA or YDSA chapter and get involved so we can continue to fight alongside Zohran and DSA elected officials across the country to create the future we all deserve,” the party added.
Now, following Mamdani’s victory, DSA leaders are reportedly considering mounting primary challenges not only against Jeffries but also other House Democrats representing New York City districts, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman, and Yvette Clarke, Fox added.
