Who is Deja Foxx? Gen Z Arizona influencer working for Congress dubbed the following AOC’

Foxx formally declared her marketing campaign in April after the dying of longtime Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died of most cancers in March at age 77, as reported by The Washington Post.

Foxx garnered nationwide media consideration in 2017 for a viral video through which she described her confrontation with then-Sen. Jeff Flake over Planned Parenthood funding. She used that once-in-a-lifetime alternative to accrue a big following on social media, the place she continues to share advocacy-related content material together with her followers frequently.

Foxx is now leveraging her expertise with the Harris marketing campaign and seeking to run for workplace to be able to encourage younger and progressive voters.

Foxx specializing in abortion rights

Much like Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 marketing campaign, which unseated a robust incumbent, Foxx is working on a progressive message and is emphasizing abortion rights. One of her key speaking factors is the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*.

Foxx has acknowledged Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Jasmine Crockett as inspirations who she thinks “finest signify the values of the occasion.”

Despite the comparisons, Foxx faces an uphill battle. A latest Public Policy Polling survey confirmed her at simply 5% assist within the Democratic main, far behind front-runner Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late congressman, who polled at 49%.

Despite all of the hurdles, Foxx has asserted that she’s not backing down. Like AOC, she’s rejected tremendous PAC cash and is counting on small-dollar donations, with a median contribution of about $29.

She’s additionally leaning into her age, saying it’s a purpose why her voice issues in politics. “If all people who instructed me I used to be too younger went and instructed anyone that they had been too outdated, we might be in a vastly completely different political construction proper now,” as cited by a Newsweek report.

She added, “Age is a defining think about our political system. Like it or not, it simply is,” noting that “the seat she is working for opened up as a result of anyone handed away whereas in workplace.”

Concerns about getting old management in Washington have grown in recent times. Grijalva is the third Democratic member of Congress to die in workplace this yr. Since 2022, eight sitting lawmakers have handed away.

A difficult previous

Foxx has been open about her tough upbringing. Her marketing campaign web site says she skilled homelessness as a teen however grew to become the primary in her household to attend faculty, incomes a full scholarship to Columbia University.

In her interview with Newsweek, she recalled counting on Title X funding as a young person. “I used to be a young person residing with my boyfriend, working at a gasoline station. We relied on Title X funding,” she mentioned.

“Planned Parenthood facilities [helped me] get the contraception that I wanted to take management of my physique and my future once I had no cash, no mother and father, and no insurance coverage.”

She additional talked about that each one her early experiences made her notice how disconnected some lawmakers are from the folks they signify. “And that is simply a kind of ways in which policymakers, usually disconnected from their constituents, vote with out ever fascinated by the implications for actual folks.”

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Deja Foxx shares expertise of working for Harris marketing campaign

Moving additional, Foxx mentioned her time engaged on Harris’ marketing campaign taught her easy methods to be daring in politics. “What it taught me is a lesson that I took into 2024 and that I’m taking into my very own particular election right here in 2025 as I stick my head as much as lead and to run — which was what it means to be fearless.”

After Harris misplaced the 2024 election, Foxx mentioned she felt compelled to step into the highlight herself. “It wasn’t sufficient for me to simply work behind the scenes of campaigns or in entrance of the cameras,” she mentioned. “I wanted to present them somebody they might get enthusiastic about, or we might stand to lose our era.”