Who is Deja Foxx? Gen Z Arizona influencer running for Congress dubbed ‘the next AOC’

Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media activist and abortion rights advocate, is running for Congress in Arizona’s 7th District. Her campaign has quickly drawn comparisons to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).

Deja Foxx officially declared her campaign in April after the death of long-time Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died of cancer in March at age 77.

Foxx officially declared her campaign in April after the death of longtime Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died of cancer in March at age 77, as reported by The Washington Post.

Foxx garnered national media attention in 2017 for a viral video in which she described her confrontation with then-Sen. Jeff Flake over Planned Parenthood funding. She used that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accrue a large following on social media, where she continues to share advocacy-related content with her followers regularly.

Foxx is now leveraging her experience with the Harris campaign and looking to run for office in order to inspire young and progressive voters.

Foxx focusing on abortion rights

Much like Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 campaign, which unseated a powerful incumbent, Foxx is running on a progressive message and is emphasizing abortion rights. One of her key talking points is the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*.

Foxx has acknowledged Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Jasmine Crockett as inspirations who she thinks “best represent the values of the party.”

Despite the comparisons, Foxx faces an uphill battle. A recent Public Policy Polling survey showed her at just 5% support in the Democratic primary, far behind front-runner Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late congressman, who polled at 49%.

Despite all the hurdles, Foxx has asserted that she’s not backing down. Like AOC, she’s rejected super PAC money and is relying on small-dollar donations, with an average contribution of about $29.

She’s also leaning into her age, saying it’s a reason why her voice matters in politics. “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,” as cited by a Newsweek report.

She added, “Age is a defining factor in our political system. Like it or not, it just is,” noting that “the seat she is running for opened up because somebody passed away while in office.”

Concerns about aging leadership in Washington have grown in recent years. Grijalva is the third Democratic member of Congress to die in office this year. Since 2022, eight sitting lawmakers have passed away.

A challenging past

Foxx has been open about her difficult upbringing. Her campaign website says she experienced homelessness as a teen but became the first in her family to attend college, earning a full scholarship to Columbia University.

In her interview with Newsweek, she recalled relying on Title X funding as a teenager. “I was a teenager living with my boyfriend, working at a gas station. We relied on Title X funding,” she said.

“Planned Parenthood centers [helped me] 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.”

She further mentioned that all her early experiences made her realize how disconnected some lawmakers are from the people they represent. “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.”

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Deja Foxx shares experience of working for Harris campaign

Moving further, Foxx said her time working on Harris’ campaign taught her how to be bold in politics. “What it taught me is a lesson that I took into 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.”

After Harris lost the 2024 election, Foxx said she felt compelled to step into the spotlight herself. “It wasn’t enough for me to just work behind the scenes of campaigns or in front of the cameras,” she said. “I needed to give them someone they could get excited about, or we would stand to lose our generation.”