Deja Foxx

Deja Foxx
Foxx in 2020
Personal details
Born
Deja Cherise Operana-Foxx

(2000-04-18) April 18, 2000
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationColumbia University (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Deja Cherise Operana-Foxx (/ˈdeɪʒə/ DAY-zhə;[1] born April 18, 2000)[2] is an American political organizer and former model who was a candidate in the Democratic Party's primary election for Arizona's 7th congressional district in the 2025 special election, losing to Adelita Grijalva. She previously campaigned for Kamala Harris in her 2020 and 2024 presidential campaigns, having first come to national prominence as a supporter of Planned Parenthood.

Early life and education

Foxx, a Filipina American, was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, where she attended a magnet school, University High School.[3][4][5][6] She was raised in Section 8 housing and her family relief on food stamps growing up.[7] When she was 15, she stopped living with her mother, who struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, and stayed with friends.[5][8] Foxx worked at a gas station for two years to help support her mother.[9]

While at school, she successfully campaigned to change the sex education curriculum to increase its relevance.[10] In her senior year, she became a founding member of El Rio Community Health Center's Reproductive Health Access Project, which provides reproductive health care to young people in the Tucson area.[9] She won a Community Innovation Award from the Society for Science in 2018 for a study on the frequencies and relationships of age, race, insurer and BMI to rate of C-sections.[11]

In 2018, Foxx began studying political science at Columbia University in New York City, where she had a full scholarship. Foxx made the dean's list for her academic performance.[12] She later became a race and ethnicity major and graduated in 2023, the first in her family to attend and graduate from college.[13][14]

Political career

Foxx first came to national prominence in April 2017 when she challenged Senator Jeff Flake at a town hall meeting in Mesa, Arizona, over his plans to defund Planned Parenthood.[15] In June 2017, when Foxx travelled to Washington, D.C., to campaign for the organization, The Washington Post called her "the new face of Planned Parenthood".[5][10]

Foxx in 2020

Foxx founded GenZ Girl Gang, "an Instagram community determined to redefine sisterhood for a new generation", in April 2019.[16] She later explained that one purpose of the organization was to "translate this idea of solidarity... into a digital space, because more and more that's where we're spending our time".[8] In 2024, she won an award from the Muhammad Ali Center for founding GenZ Girl Gang.[17]

In 2019, Foxx was invited to join the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris as a full-time staff member by Harris' niece, Meena Harris.[18] Foxx took her sophomore year off college and moved to Baltimore, Maryland. She focused on digital organizing and messaging and described her own role as "influencer and surrogate strategist". After Harris withdrew from the election, Foxx created a digital campaign for Ignite the Vote, a get out the vote organization whose national bus tour was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[19]

On June 30, 2022, Foxx was arrested during a protest in Washington, D.C., against the reversal of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court six days earlier in the decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The protest was organized by the Center for Popular Democracy, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and the Working Families Party. Foxx was arrested alongside 180 others.[13] She featured in TikTok, Boom., a documentary that premiered in October 2022 about the social media platform TikTok.[20] In 2023, she won a Global Citizen Prize for her "reproductive and sexual health advocacy".[21]

Foxx spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she was one of 200 content creators in attendance.[22] In her speech, she focused on reproductive rights and student debt and proclaimed "we need Kamala Harris". On the second night of the convention, she hosted a party called "Hotties for Harris", attended by David Hogg and Maxwell Frost.[23] In 2024, she also campaigned in support of Arizona Proposition 139, an amendment establishing a right to abortion in the Constitution of Arizona.[24]

2025 special election

On April 2, 2025, Foxx announced her candidacy for the special election in Arizona's 7th congressional district, vacant following the death of incumbent Raúl Grijalva.[25][26] In an interview with Teen Vogue, she explained that she had been considering contesting the primary for the seat in 2026, but decided to run in the special election because her "lived experience differentiates me from people in the field" and because "we need young people with a real sense of urgency at this moment". She also explained her campaign as either "crashout or Congress".[27] She participated in a televised debate with the other primary candidates on June 10, 2025.[28]

Foxx's campaign was described as an "uphill climb" by The Washington Post, who noted that her "digital footprint exceeds her presence on the ground".[29] The majority of her funding was from small donors, under $200, with the average about $29. This earned her comparisons to the campaigns of progressive politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders (though both endorsed her opponent Adelita Grijalva, Raúl's daughter).[30][31] Foxx said she saw Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett as leaders who "best represent the values of the party".[31] Foxx was endorsed by LPAC, ASPIRE PAC, and Leaders We Deserve PAC, the latter of which is led by David Hogg.[30][32][33] She raised more than $600,000 overall with 74.5% coming from unitemized individual contributions totalling less than $200 but only 16% from within the state of Arizona according to an analysis from Arizona Public Media.[34][35]

On July 15, Foxx was defeated by the younger Grijalva in the primary election and underperformed compared to the polls (one of which had her at 35%[30]) finishing 42 points behind, at second, with 22.4% of the vote.[36][37]

Electoral history

2025

Democratic primary results[38]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adelita Grijalva 38,679 61.5%
Democratic Deja Foxx 14,078 22.4%
Democratic Daniel Hernández Jr. 8,541 13.6%
Democratic Patrick Harris 925 1.5%
Democratic Jose Malvido Jr. 687 1.1%
Total votes 62,910 100.00%

Modeling career

Foxx has said she uses style "as a way to push [against traditional notions of] respectability, professionalism, and what it means to really own my body."[39] In 2018, she was named as a face of Rebecca Minkoff bags as part of the "I Am Many" campaign.[40] In May 2019, Foxx was named a MAC Cosmetics Viva Glam ambassador, a lipstick brand that donates the proceeds of its sales to fighting HIV/AIDS.[41] Foxx was signed to Ford Models as a digital creator after the 2020 presidential election campaign.[42]

References

  1. ^ @servesocietyorg; (2025-07-08). "I ran into this Gen Z girl at a coffee shop a couple weeks ago and we sparked a conversation sharing our thoughts, passions and vision for the community. Next thing I know she's bringing her whole team out to support our mission and take interest in what young people are doing for the city of Tucson! @dejafoxx you have our support as much as we have yours!" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Foxx, Deja (2020-04-18). "Deja'a 20th Birthday Fundraiser". Retrieved 2023-05-05. Today's my 20th birthday and I'm asking y'all for the best gift. The ability to give back.
  3. ^ Pallack, Becky; Washington, John (June 16, 2025). "Half the candidates in Southern Arizona's congressional special election don't live in District 7". AZ Luminaria. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  4. ^ Resnick, Hannah (June 4, 2021). "11 Facts About Deja Foxx, the Activist Who Might Just Be Our Future President". Pop Sugar. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Somashekhar, Sandhya (June 8, 2017). "This teen is the new face of Planned Parenthood. 'I wanted all the chances everyone else had.'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 12, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  6. ^ Pittenger, Angela (April 19, 2017). "Tucson's Deja Foxx on eloquently confronting Sen. Flake and running for president". This is Tucson. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Bateman, Kristen (October 4, 2021). "Deja Foxx Wants to Be Your Future POTUS". The Cut. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Marks, Andrea (February 24, 2021). "The Power of Deja Foxx". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Papisova, Vera (November 5, 2018). "21 Under 21: Deja Foxx Says Homeless Students Like Her Need to Tell Their Stories". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "5 Planned Parenthood Patients Lobbied Congress and Proved They Are Rockstars". Planned Parenthood Action Fund. June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "This young Indian scientist is inventing an accessible bike for the disabled". Society for Science. May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  12. ^ R., Koyaana (August 29, 2019). "Back to School with Deja Foxx". Rebag. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Gulino, Elizabeth; Foxx, Deja (October 12, 2022). "Deja Foxx: I Was Arrested Protesting For Abortion Rights — & I'd Do It Again". Refinery 29. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  14. ^ "This feminist is organizing for reproductive rights in Arizona and is one of the youngest presidential campaign staffers in history". Feminist. August 14, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  15. ^ Sheth, Sonam (April 15, 2017). "'Why is it your right to take away my right to choose?': Teenager slams top Republican senator during testy town hall". Business Insider.
  16. ^ Gontcharova, Natalie (May 3, 2019). "At 16, She Schooled A Senator On Planned Parenthood & That Was Just The Beginning". Refinery29. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  17. ^ "The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards". Muhammad Ali Center. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  18. ^ Meredith, Karenna (June 24, 2021). "Deja Foxx, Kamala Harris's Youngest Campaign Staffer, Is Ready to Be Your Gen Z President". Pop Sugar. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  19. ^ Dunlea, Reed; Smith, Jamil (January 13, 2021). "'My Experience Is My Expertise': Deja Foxx on Being a Presidential Campaign Staffer at 19, Influencers, and Sexuality in Politics". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  20. ^ Anderson, John (October 20, 2022). "'TikTok, Boom' Review: Video Interference". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  21. ^ Artz, Jaxx (June 14, 2023). "This Activist & Founder Is Using Social Media to Champion Reproductive and Sexual Rights". Global Citizen. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  22. ^ Moore, Elena (August 20, 2024). "Gen Z activist Deja Foxx is the first content creator to speak at the convention". NPR. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  23. ^ Bensinger, Ken (August 23, 2024). "Free Booze, a Lake Cruise and Selfies Galore: How Democrats Courted Influencers at the D.N.C." The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  24. ^ LaPointe, Emma (October 14, 2024). "Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom tour makes first Arizona stop in Tucson". The Daily Wildcat. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  25. ^ @Deja_Foxx (April 2, 2025). "This isn't just politics—it's personal. From long nights at the gas station to becoming the first in my family to graduate college—I know what's at stake because I've lived it. This moment calls for more than a politician. You deserve a fighter. I'm running for #AZ07. #FoxxForAZ" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ^ Janfaza, Rachel (April 3, 2025). "She Was a Gen Z Influencer for Kamala Harris. Now She's Running for Congress". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on April 3, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  27. ^ Kannan, Malavika (April 24, 2025). "Deja Foxx Is Running for Congress in Arizona to Fight for Young People and Reshape the Democratic Party". Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  28. ^ Washington, John (June 10, 2025). "Finger pointing and middle fingers as Democratic debate heats up. Watch the replay". Arizona Luminaria. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  29. ^ Wells, Dylan (June 27, 2025). "Gen Z content creator challenges old guard with long-shot run for Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  30. ^ a b c Wu, Nicholas; Howard, Andrew (July 10, 2025). "A 25-year-old influencer is bucking Bernie and AOC in this Arizona race". Politico. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  31. ^ a b Taheri, Mandy (June 13, 2025). "Is This the Next AOC?". Newsweek. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  32. ^ "Deja Foxx". LPAC. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  33. ^ Piper, Jessica (July 2, 2025). "David Hogg's PAC endorses Gen Z activist Deja Foxx in Arizona special election". Politico. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  34. ^ Rodriguez, Paola (July 15, 2025). "Small donors, big PACs, and out-of-state money shape Arizona's 7th Congressional District race". Arizona Public Media. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  35. ^ Bradford, Emma (July 9, 2025). "With surge in donations, Grijalva erases Hernandez's lead ahead of July 15 special primary for late dad's House seat". Cronkite News. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  36. ^ @DecisionDeskHQ (July 16, 2025). "Decision Desk HQ projects Adelita Grijalva to win the Democratic Primary in Arizona's 7th Congressional District" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  37. ^ Vakil, Caroline (July 15, 2025). "Adelita Grijalva wins Arizona special primary in bid to succeed her late father". The Hill. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  38. ^ "Arizona US House 7 Democratic Special Election Primary". election-night.decisiondeskhq.com. Decision Desk HQ. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  39. ^ "Gen Z Models Are Embracing Authentic Fashion With eBay". Teen Vogue. February 12, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  40. ^ Krentcil, Faran (September 6, 2018). "Rebecca Minkoff Hasn't Made a 'Single Dime' Off Her Feminist Tees". Elle. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  41. ^ Rearick, Lauren (May 1, 2019). "Deja Foxx Was Named a M.A.C Viva Glam Ambassador". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  42. ^ "Deja Foxx". AAE Speakers. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
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