Voters Zero In on Palestine, LGBTQ+ Rights In CD7 Race

With Arizona’s special primary election around the corner, Democratic voters in the 7th Congressional District are sorting through a crowded field of five candidates vying to replace the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva. And for many, the decision comes down to two urgent issues: LGBTQ+ rights and where the candidates stand on Israel’s war in Gaza.

That’s where social media influencer and activist Deja Foxx seems to be gaining ground, especially among voters who say those issues are nonnegotiable.

The race — covering parts of Cochise, Maricopa, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz and Yuma counties — will decide who fills the seat left vacant by the longtime progressive icon.

The Democratic lineup is a mix of familiar names and first-timers. Per KJZZ, former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez leads in fundraising, followed by former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva and Foxx. Two other candidates are on the ballot but haven’t reported campaign finances — either due to missing filings or not raising enough to trigger disclosure requirements.

Hernandez, who created the state’s LGBTQ+ Caucus in the state Legislature, started with strong LGBTQ+ advocacy groups supporting his campaign, including the Equality Federation, The Victory Fund, and local LGBQT+ advocacy group Equality Arizona. 

But that support from the community has not translated to easy votes. In fact, Foxx — who recently won an endorsement from LPAC, the only lesbian and nonbinary political action committee — launched a $52,000 independent expenditure campaign using LPAC money. The campaign includes digital ads targeting 90,000 Democratic voters and a mail push as the election nears, pulling away from Hernandez’s support from LGBTQ+ voters. 

"Deja Foxx represents the next generation of bold, unapologetic leaders our communities need in Congress," said LPAC Executive Director Janelle Perez. "As a queer woman of color, Deja knows firsthand what it means to fight for equity, access, and opportunity. She’s inspiring a movement of young people who are ready to lead. We’re proud to support her candidacy, put real resources behind her campaign in these final days and help push her over the finish line."

Benjamin Armentrout, a doctoral student and president of the University of Arizona College Democrats, said he was undecided — until he met Foxx. At first, he was drawn to Jose Malvido Jr., who was the only candidate to explicitly call the war in Gaza a genocide. But after pressing Foxx on her stance, he said she followed up weeks later at a town hall in Bisbee.

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That event, held after Bisbee Pride, ended with both Grijalva and Hernandez — along with Hernandez’s two sisters, who also represent southern Arizona — walking out. Foxx stayed behind and took questions about Israel and Palestine.

She called for halting U.S. weapons shipments to the region and redirecting that money toward domestic needs.

“She is willing to advocate for policy and position, unlike Adelita, who is deleting her old tweets calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, and walking out of town halls,” Armentrout said.

Foxx’s political résumé may be thin, but Armentrout said her vision reflects a generation disillusioned by politics-as-usual. “These reforms give working people the opportunity to push society in the direction that it should be, with their votes, not their dollars,” he said.

For Alyssa Sanchez, a Tucson native with deep roots in the city, Adelita Grijalva’s legacy is more than just a name. She praised Grijalva’s work supporting unions, protecting the San Pedro River and showing up for Indigenous communities — all crucial, Sanchez said, given her west Tucson family’s long history of health issues linked to toxic exposure from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

When asked whether a candidate’s stance on Gaza matters to her, Sanchez didn’t hesitate: She watches how they treat Indigenous people here. “Because that is indicative of their behavior overseas,” she said.

Both Sanchez and Armentrout said they’re not backing Hernandez. Sanchez criticized his record of bipartisanship and his leadership role in what she described as a Zionist LGBTQ+ group. “It weaponizes queerness to create more harm than good,” she said.

Armentrout was more blunt: Hernandez is a centrist who sides with businesses over people — and is staunchly pro-Israel.

Jorge Garcia, another District 7 voter, echoed the sentiment. He sees Hernandez as “pro-business,” more focused on helping himself and his allies than the people most in need. “Foxx is the best choice because she is real, not playing a game of chess,” he said. “She is not trying to benefit from power, instead help the less fortunate.”

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Uriah Bennett said he's stuck between Grijalva and Foxx — but Gaza is a litmus test. “If you can't at least recognize that what's happening over there is a horrendous human tragedy and is wrong full stop, I don't care what your position on other things is,” he said. “You will not be getting my vote, period.”

Leah Dardis, a Tucson native and founder of a queer youth pantry, said Foxx’s lived experience and unapologetic politics make her the only candidate capable of starting what she called “the revolution.”

“Because democracy is dead,” Dardis added.

Dardis, who previously worked with Grijalva at the Tucson Unified School District, said the candidate’s values didn’t match her own. She acknowledged Grijalva as a “second-best” option, but said her leadership style was off-putting. “It just turns me off to who she is, and how she makes her decisions.”

For Dardis, Foxx represents a shakeup — one that may unsettle some longtime Grijalva supporters.

“Foxx, who is young and new, disrupts their feelings of complacency,” she said, pointing to Latina women voters who may feel loyal to the Grijalva name. “They have grown up with her, she looks like them, and she has been in Tucson for a large portion of their lives.”

At a moment when young, queer, and progressive voters are demanding more than cautious centrism, Dardis said there’s only one candidate who gets it: Foxx.