Arizona Democrat Candidate Dubbed 'Next AOC' Not Welcoming Her New Moniker

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An Democratic candidate for Congress from Arizona has rejected comparisons to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after the New York representative failed to endorse her.

25-year-old Deja Foxx is running to represent Arizona's 7th district in Congress. A special election to determine who will win the role is set to be held in September of this year.

If elected, Foxx would become the youngest woman elected to Congress, a title currently held by AOC, who was elected to represent New York's 14th congressional district at the age of 29.

"I remember when she was elected. I was just a teenager," Foxx told the Daily Beast, reminiscing on AOC's election. "Now I'm old enough to run for Congress. And we are in a very different place."

Foxx, a Columbia graduate who relied on government provisions like Medicare and Section 8 in her upbringing, has stated that she believes some of AOC's campaigning tactics are outdated.

"I represent a generation who has a different kind of urgency and a different skill set, a different way of communicating," Foxx told the Daily Beast. "And right now, the Democrats, for the very first time in decades, have lost ground with young people. If we do not get serious about the ways we are communicating with them, talking to them, we are going to be in a really bad spot in 2026 and 2028, and we can't afford that. Families like mine who rely on the social services Donald Trump is trying to cut, things like Medicaid, SNAP benefits, cannot afford another loss."

Both Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Adelita Grijalva, the daughter of former incumbent Raúl Grijalva, who left the seat up for election after his death, in the race to represent Arizona's 7th district.

However, Foxx believes that Grijalva is a Democrat she describes as "asleep at the wheel", phrasing commonly used by former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who supported her at a recent rally in Tucson.

"I started showing up to school board meetings," Foxx shared, indicating that she was advocating for an updated curriculum after she was taught "outdated" sex education in school. "And after six months of organizing, we won. And we showed those school board members, who for decades avoided controversy at the expense of the young people they serve, one of whom I am running against in this race—what it looks like to show a spine," she said Friday. "And it is exactly what I intend to do in Congress."