The 25-Year-Old Running for Congress Who Gives Me So Much Hope
Deja Foxx is bold, brilliant, and exactly the kind of leader I want to see in office.
Some people are up in arms that
, who’s running for Congress in Arizona’s 7th District, is active on TikTok. As if that’s somehow disqualifying.Meanwhile, I’m over here thinking: isn’t that the point?
Deja’s not on social media for attention; she’s using it to connect. With young people. With working-class families.
With the folks politicians often overlook or ignore. And right now, that’s where people are. According to the latest Digital News Report, more Americans get their news from social media than from TV. And 39% of adults under 30 get their news specifically from TikTok.
So if anything, Deja is ahead of the curve. She knows how to meet people where they are. And she’s not afraid to speak up in the spaces where others stay silent.
I’ve been following her online for years, but I got to meet her in person last year while canvassing in Arizona. I didn’t even realize she was only 24 at the time because she carries herself with so much power and clarity. She is intimidatingly smart, wildly driven, and when she speaks, you feel it. Like, deep in your gut. She makes you want to do better, be better, build better.
And yes, she’s young, but she’s also incredibly qualified. Deja has lived the kind of challenges most members of Congress have never come close to. She’s been homeless. She’s relied on government programs to survive. She’s worked nights at a gas station while going to school. And she’s been organizing since she was a teenager, fighting for sex ed reform when her school board wouldn’t even talk about consent.
She doesn’t come from a political dynasty. She didn’t inherit a donor list. What she brings to this race is lived experience, a deep understanding of what’s not working in our system, and the energy and ideas to help fix it.
Honestly, I think Deja would be a wonderful addition to Congress.
If you’re looking for a leader who gets it, who understands what it’s like to struggle, and who wants to make things better for people like us, check her out.
Please help me share her story. Send her some love. Every bit of support makes a difference in a race like this.
We say we want fresh voices and bold leadership. Well… here she is.
👉 Learn more about Deja Foxx here.
And just to be crystal clear: nobody asked me to write this post. Nobody paid me to share this. I’m doing it because I truly love who Deja is, what she stands for, and the vision she’s bringing to this race.
I believe in her with my whole heart, and I want more people to see what I see. If I can help her, even a little, by sharing her story with you, I’ll consider that a win.
Thank you for highlighting the candidacy of a young woman who represents, I think, not only the concerns of Americans across demographics but relatability in her economic marginalization. A personal story which includes homelessness, the stress of working at night to support your academic aims and a nascent bid for political organizing as a 16-year-old are aligned to reach a great number of people who feel disenfranchised by their political representatives, like their voices are never heard.
Yes, her youth is apparent, as is her fluency in building an audience on social media, which may draw easy comparisons to AOC (not a deficit in my opinion). Why intellect, command of language and reachability should be dismissed out of hand because of a growing TikTok profile is absurd. Social media when the tack is considered, thoughtful and resonates with your audience is a modern lever for Deja Foxx to utilize, to incentivize in her path forward.
I wish her every success and thank her for her candidacy.
Deja is one of a number of young, intelligent, talented, progressive women who are either running for office or are in office. She fire!🔥
https://open.substack.com/pub/justvote/p/a-change-of-guard?r=2toxww&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false