From TikTok to Heading to Capitol Hill: Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old Influencer, Democratic Candidate Could Seriously Win a Seat in Congress
The next big political movement might not come from a traditional campaign trail, but from your social media feed.
Back in 2015, it raised eyebrows when then-President Barack Obama chose to do an interview with a YouTube personality. Fast forward a decade, and online influencers aren’t just shaping public discourse — they’re stepping up to run for public office.
This week marks a pivotal moment in that evolution. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old digital creator and political activist, is vying for a congressional seat in Arizona. Her campaign could become a defining moment in the journey from influencer to elected leader.
Foxx, a prominent progressive voice on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, is locked in a competitive Democratic primary to succeed the late Rep. Raul Grijalva. Her main opponent? Grijalva’s daughter, Adelita Grijalva, is a seasoned local official. And yet, despite the political lineage of her rival, Foxx is polling within striking distance — a recent internal campaign survey showed her trailing by single digits. The fact that establishment allies are pouring resources into the race signals that Foxx is more than just a curiosity — she’s a contender.
This isn’t just a quirky one-off candidacy. Foxx could be the first of many internet-born personalities who step into the halls of Capitol Hill. Her run reflects a broader trend: platforms like TikTok and Instagram aren’t just political battlegrounds — they’re becoming the proving grounds for a new generation of public servants.
This trend, though novel in format, has deep historical roots. Media figures transitioning into politics is nothing new. Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper publisher before he became a Founding Father. Horace Greeley ran for president after running The New York Tribune. President Warren G. Harding was once the publisher of The Marion Star.
More recently, local TV anchors and radio hosts have successfully transitioned to public office. Jesse Helms went from delivering nightly editorials to serving decades in the Senate. The idea was simple: if you’re already a familiar face in people’s living rooms, you have a built-in trust factor. That familiarity often translated into votes.
Now, in the age of digital media, that same familiarity is being cultivated through short videos, livestreams, and viral posts. The "news anchor advantage" is giving way to the "influencer edge."
Foxx first captured public attention in 2017 when she challenged Sen. Jeff Flake on abortion rights during a town hall. The moment catapulted her into national headlines and launched a career as a digital activist. Today, she commands nearly 400,000 TikTok followers and more than 245,000 on Instagram. She worked on Kamala Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign, appeared at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, and co-hosted a “Hotties for Harris” event at the same.
She’s not alone in this space. In 2022, Brandon Herrera — a 28-year-old YouTuber known for his pro-gun content — nearly unseated a Republican incumbent in Texas, despite recently moving to the district. That same year, far-right influencer Laura Loomer almost defeated a sitting GOP congressman in Florida — and had previously mounted a campaign in a Democratic district that included Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. And in Illinois, progressive video creator Kat Abughazaleh is launching a congressional bid in a district where she’s neither lived nor voted.
But Foxx’s candidacy is arguably the most legitimate test yet — no recent relocation, no fringe baggage, and no entrenched opponent. Just a young, media-savvy progressive seeking to represent a new era.
Former Rep. Steve Israel, who once led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that the skills required to grow an online audience mirror those needed to win elections. “It’s about knowing how to tap into public sentiment, mastering communication, and building a loyal following,” he explained. But he also cautioned that social media stardom alone isn’t enough. A strong message, grassroots mobilization, and serious fundraising chops are still must-haves. “You can be the hottest influencer around,” he said, “but without core campaign skills, that’s all you’ll ever be.”
The same caveats have applied to television figures. For example, Kari Lake, the former news anchor turned Trump-aligned candidate, lost in two major statewide races in Arizona. Despite her visibility, she couldn’t translate that exposure into electoral victory — though she’s now involved in reshaping the federal media agency landscape.
One core challenge for influencers is their often tenuous connection to local communities. Unlike TV anchors, who build familiarity with specific regions over years, digital creators often have a more dispersed, national fanbase. One Democratic strategist (speaking anonymously) argued that influencers don’t offer the same localized advantage that traditional media personalities do — and that voters have longstanding relationships with anchors in a way that influencers can’t easily replicate. Still, the strategist conceded that influencers might excel in low-turnout contests, where their diehard fans can tip the scales.
The reality is, more voters — especially younger ones — now rely on platforms like TikTok to learn about the world. For many, social media has replaced not just traditional news, but even basic tools like Google. That shift is rewriting campaign strategies from the ground up.
Brad Elkins, a veteran Democratic strategist helping run Foxx’s campaign, said he was stunned by how recognizable she already was before they even launched paid advertising. “She couldn’t go anywhere without people stopping her,” he said.
And it's not just Gen Z that’s plugged in. Baby boomers and Gen Xers are also increasingly getting their news from digital platforms. As GOP strategist Jesse Hunt put it: “If you’ve built a national audience, you probably have a decent local one too.”
The line between influencer and lawmaker is already blurring. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has built a massive online presence — not just through political messaging, but through personal, relatable content like cooking on Instagram Live. Just as television once displaced radio as the dominant campaign medium, short-form video may now be redefining political outreach.
Elkins predicts this is just the beginning. As the influencer profession matures, more digital creators — even those in lifestyle niches — may explore public service. He compares the current moment to the early days when TV weathermen and anchors were first seen as viable political prospects.
That doesn’t mean Congress is about to turn into a YouTube collab house. Just like every news anchor doesn’t end up in the Senate, not every TikToker will end up writing laws. But with political recruiters increasingly looking beyond old-school resumes, the influencer pipeline is opening up.
And if the American public once chose a reality TV host for the presidency, why wouldn’t they send a TikTok creator to Congress?
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Let’s Get Deja to Congress — Together
Deja Foxx represents the future of American leadership: bold, progressive, media-savvy, and unapologetically Gen Z. Her voice isn’t just powerful online — it’s exactly the kind of energy we need in Washington.
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I'm from Arizona and the results of today's election will be interesting. Foxx has incredible messaging not only in social media savviness but also her messaging to audiences in relatable issues e.g. she states her mother 'raised me on her own in Section 8 housing and on SNAP benefits. When Trump and Musk call families like ours the 'parasite class,' it's personal'. She's young, Latino, female, brave, and has a ton of energy.
This is exactly what we need!