The progressive left just suffered another major blow — and this time, it came from within their own ranks.

In Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, 25-year-old TikTok activist Deja Foxx was crushed by more than 40 points in a primary battle that was supposed to mark the arrival of the next generation of far-left digital influencers in Congress. Instead, Foxx’s campaign ended in humiliation.

With just 65% of the vote counted, the Associated Press called the race for 54-year-old Adelita Grijalva — daughter of former Rep. Raúl Grijalva — who secured a commanding 62% of the vote. Foxx, despite having nearly 400,000 TikTok followers and a war chest filled with small-dollar donations, could only muster 21%, according to Trending Politics.

The message from voters was loud and clear: hashtags and social media followers don’t translate into leadership.

Foxx, who only became constitutionally eligible to run for Congress in April, tried to run on a narrative built around identity and adversity — touting her upbringing on food stamps, life in Section 8 housing, and pro-abortion activism as proof of her “lived experience.” Endorsements from gun control activist David Hogg and the leftist PAC “Leaders We Deserve” failed to make a dent.

Meanwhile, Grijalva — backed by Democratic powerhouses including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Arizona’s two Democrat senators — ran a steady, predictable campaign rooted in her family’s political legacy. That, combined with deep institutional support and name recognition, allowed her to steamroll her much-hyped opponent.

Foxx attempted to spin the embarrassing loss as a moral victory.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what we built together,” she said, referring to her online-driven campaign. “We shattered expectations.”

In reality, the result shattered progressive illusions. A viral Politico piece had once claimed Foxx had a “real shot.” The response from one user on X after Tuesday night? Brutal:
“She lost by 40.”

Foxx raised over $670,000, primarily from progressive donors eager to see another AOC-style upset. But despite an aggressive social media strategy and a near-identical platform to Grijalva’s — supporting Medicare for All, radical climate policies, tribal sovereignty, and nonstop opposition to President Donald Trump — voters chose substance over style.

Grijalva’s victory speech invoked her father’s legacy and positioned her win as a continuation of decades of local activism.

“This is a victory not for me, but for our community and the progressive movement my dad started in Southern Arizona more than 50 years ago,” she said. “We delivered a message rooted not just in fighting back against a dangerous and tyrannical administration—but in fighting for something.”

Across the country, however, the radical left isn’t backing down.

In New York, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are licking their lips after their latest darling, 33-year-old Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, stunned the political world by defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a crowded field to win the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. If he wins in November, Mamdani would become the city’s first Muslim mayor — and a leading figure in the DSA’s campaign to take over the Democratic Party from within.

Now emboldened, Mamdani’s allies are setting their sights higher — and squaring off with the Democrat establishment.

According to a report from Fox News, DSA insiders are plotting a wave of primary challenges in 2026 aimed at several high-ranking New York Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Reps. Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman, Ritchie Torres, and Yvette Clarke.

Jeffries’ team isn’t taking the threat lightly. One senior adviser promised a “forceful and unrelenting” response to any socialist attempts to unseat the top House Democrat.

The DSA, meanwhile, is openly encouraging supporters to join their ranks and continue the socialist push.

“This movement is bigger than one person, election, city, or organization,” the group said in a post-primary statement. “We encourage all people inspired by the Zohran campaign to join their local DSA or YDSA chapter… to create the future we all deserve.”

For all the progressive chest-thumping, though, the results out of Arizona are a sobering reminder: in most of America, far-left theatrics still don’t win elections.