A 25-year-old content creator and progressive activist, Deja Foxx had hoped to snag the competitive 7th Congressional District for Arizona in last week’s primary.  The seat had long been held by former Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, who died in March at 77. 

The GenZ persuader would have been the first elected to Congress. 

Her weapon? High energy, passion and the resolve for monumental political change, but above all, her influencer skills and savvy social media placement know how. 

Still, Adelita Grijalva, 54, the late congressman’s daughter, secured the Democratic nomination, and by a wide margin. Many believe her victory, in large part, came because of her father’s widespread popularity and beloved status after his somewhat untimely death even though his cancer diagnosis had been announced more than a year earlier. 

But Democrats took notice of the Foxx and Grijalva race as it was the most competitive for Democrats statewide. Foxx showed an impressive sprint near the primary’s end after she was seen as a long-shot, a youthful underdog with growing momentum. 

In a statement after her loss, Foxx said, “her effort had written a new playbook for our generation of leaders.” 

The Arizona native, Foxx, is one of a growing number of younger candidates stepping up in bids for office this year. 

Another Arizona Democratic challenger, not necessarily considered young, but certainly a freshman compared to the tenure of current elected Democrats, JoAnna (Jo) Mendoza, 48, offers a fresh and personal message that echoes the viewpoints of many Americans after the Trump administration policies have let down—even stunned voters—many of who voted for Trump.  

Mendoza reportedly recalls her time as a struggling single mother. A Marine and Navy Veteran, Mendoza was surprised by the many challenges she faced in order to secure work after leaving the military. Today, she is raising her son in same district where she has lived and declared her candidacy. 

Seen as a long-shot when Mendoza first announced her intention to run in early 2025, is now viewed as a viable candidate with a message that resonates with both young people and older voters fed up with the Trump administration. She is challenging well-funded Republican incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District (CD-6). Even though Ciscomani, won his race in the highly competitive Tucson district in 2024, he has reportedly disappointed many of his own constituents by sticking closely to Trump.  

Anger over how the Democratic party has dealt with Donald Trump is fueling much of the fire of young Democrats as well as American voters who see the party as out of touch with the tremendous challenges facing democracy and warn—without a huge change, Democrats, and possibly U.S. sovereignty will lose. 

Currently, there are more than 80 House members who are currently 70 or older, an unprecedented number and most are Dems. 

A rating of only 21% of all voters who approve of the way Democrats in Congress are doing their jobs and among Democrats only 41% approve of the party’s performance according to July 16 Quinnipiac poll. 

There is a growing mentality of “out with the old and in with the new” said one Valley Democratic voter, who told Northeast Valley News, “I’m not that old—I’m only forty-seven but it’s time for many of these “elder” Democrats to go ahead and retire and give younger candidates a shot.

The Trump administration policies have become the boing point ahead of the 2026 midterms. 

According to the Daily Beast, Harry Jarin, 35, is one of the latest Democrats to mount a challenge. The Maryland volunteer firefighter announced his bid against former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 85, and has made age a central focus of his bid.

“I think a lot of older establishment Democrats are just not psychologically prepared to deal with a fascist administration that clearly has no respect for the rule of law,” he said. “I think a lot of the rules and the systems they’ve been used to in Congress for 30 or 40 years have totally broken down, and they’re not really sure what to do next.”

And Hoyer is not the only senior leader to be challenged.

Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, is running against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and is calling for the party to reject its “extreme seniority culture.”

“The main reason why Republicans are running circles around the Dems is that they are so much younger and newer,” said Chakrabarti, who served as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff. “It’s not just age. The new blood that’s always coming into the GOP ranks is more in touch with the world as it is, with social media and other new media.”

Chakrabarti said part of what pushed him to run was shock over Pelosi’s response to Trump’s win.

“In interviews, she was saying that the Democrats hadn’t done anything wrong and didn’t need to change,” Chakrabarti said.

Most of the new challengers are saying the same thing, “We can’t go back to normal, the old days. The status quo isn’t working for the vast majority of Americans.”

While age and frustration have driven many of the challenges, young Democrats are exasperated with the party’s lack of vision and response to Trump’s second term.

“We can’t just be saying, let’s go back to normal. Let’s go back to the old days because the status quo isn’t working for the vast majority of Americans,” Abughazaleh said.

But young Democratic candidates say the biggest obstacle is funding and name recognition.

There are currently 10 candidates under 40 are eyeing seats for Congress in the midterm elections.

In recent years, the “youth” playbook has helped young progressive candidates who have gained national attention online, win, the Zohran Mamdani, case in point, the 33-year-old Democratic socialist who won an upset victory last month in New York City’s mayoral primary. 

But those victories have been few and far between. 

Arizona’s Foxx’s defeat was more predictable.  

And it’s no wonder that young activists like David Hogg, who announced a $20 million investment to challenge Democratic incumbents, split the party. 

Critics of Hogg argue the money should be spent to help flip battleground seats, not in blue districts, but young challengers disagree.