I love doing these Substack Lives. It’s where we meet the change-makers who are actually putting in the work. Yesterday, Brett and I had the honor of sitting down with Deja Foxx, and let me tell you—if you’ve been asking where the next generation of inspiring Democratic leaders are, look no further.
Deja is 25 years old. She’s running to represent Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. She’s overcome homelessness, graduated Columbia on a full ride, went toe-to-toe with Senator Jeff Flake at 16, fought for sex ed reform, worked for Kamala Harris, and founded Gen-Z Girl Gang. And now she’s running a people-powered campaign against entrenched establishment interests. She’s not waiting for permission. She’s not waiting her turn. She’s going for it—and she’s documenting every step of the way on Substack, bypassing the censorship and gatekeeping of traditional social platforms.
While Trump and his cronies are busy crashing the economy, gutting social services, and partying with Proud Boys, Deja is out knocking doors in the Arizona heat with first-time volunteers she recruited through TikTok. Yes, you read that right. Her campaign isn’t fueled by billionaire donors or inherited email lists. It’s powered by hope, grit, and the audacity to believe that government should actually work for the people who need it most.
She’s telling the truth about how hard it is to run for office as a young, working-class woman of color—and she’s still doing it anyway. From calling out the Democratic Party’s crisis of messaging, to explaining how young people are priced out of basic housing, Deja is leading with lived experience and listening. Not polling. Not pandering. Listening.
Her campaign isn’t just about winning one seat in Congress. It’s about proving that young, bold, unapologetically progressive candidates can win. And if she pulls this off, it’s going to shake the entire system. It’s going to change what’s possible in every “safe blue” district across this country.
So if you're tired of performative politics, if you believe that lived experience matters, if you want to be part of building a party that actually fights for working people, I hope you listen to this conversation we had with Deja. To learn more about her and support her campaign, you can visit dejafoxx.com and you can also see what she has to say right here on Substack.
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