While today's special election in Arizona may not seem like the type of story to generate nationwide headlines, the race is getting attention across the country for boiling down the current state of the Democratic Party into a single election. The primary election, being held in Arizona's 7th Congressional District to replace Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died in March, has become a battle between establishment Democrats and the new faces of the progressive movement.

Who's running?
The fight for the blue district has largely come down to three candidates: Deja Foxx, Adelita Grijalva and Daniel Hernandez. Grijalva, the daughter of the deceased representative, is a former Pima County supervisor who has "sought to strike a balance between pitching herself as a continuation of her father's establishment-bucking progressive legacy and embracing the broad support she has received from Democratic groups and leaders," said CNN. The 54-year-old is largely seen as the front-runner. 

At just 25, Foxx has "made her name in viral moments standing up to politicians" and "would become the youngest member of Congress," said The Guardian. Hernandez, a 35-year-old former state representative, is "also pulling in significant support." 

Arizona's 7th District is solidly liberal. So "whoever wins the Democratic primary is the likely victor in the general election," said the Guardian.

What are the broader implications?
No matter who wins, the "impact of the race will reverberate beyond Arizona," said the Arizona Republic. The primary could "provide clues as to Democratic voters' mood at a time when their 2024 election losses and President Donald Trump's second-term actions have put them on the back foot." 

With younger Democrats looking to usurp power from establishment candidates, the race has "drawn attention and money from some national players," said the Republic. Grijalva has endorsements from notable progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), while Foxx has the backing of former Co-Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee David Hogg.

Questions "over seniority and age in the party have loomed over the race," especially since "three Democrats died in office this year," said The Guardian. And after newcomer Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, Democrats are "looking across the country at how candidates who buck the status quo and who communicate well to voters and on social media will fare."

It takes between 100 and 200 applications to receive a job offer these days, according to a study by Lehigh University. So why would anyone apply for a role, get through the interviews, land the gig but then never turn up? 

Professional ghosting 
Catfishing (when someone pretends to be someone else online) is a well-known practice in the dating world and one sometimes used by financial con artists, too, said Forbes. Now, the "same concept" has "quietly slipped" into the job market, and it's pretty simple: "You apply for a job, land a job, accept the offer" and then disappear before your first day, said RTE. 

Up to 34% of Gen Z job seekers have indulged in this form of professional ghosting, according to a Future of Work survey by CV Genius. "What's happening with Gen Z" and its "approach to work is pure chaos," Yakov Filippenko, the CEO and founder of recruitment website Intch, said to Personnel Today. And because "work itself" has "turned into a meme," Gen Z "treats it that way." 

The prominence of Gen Z among career catfishing statistics may offer a "negative view" of younger job seekers, making people think they "lack professionalism" and "dismiss conventional employment norms," said RTE. But they also offer a "snapshot" of the "frustration" young people face in finding jobs. 

Ghost employees for ghost jobs 
Recruitment has become a "labyrinthine, opaque and time-consuming" process, said The Guardian. During a "long and dispiriting" recruitment process, applicants may have received a "better offer" or "simply changed their minds." They don't feel they "owe prospective employers anything" because they feel they have been "treated very badly by them." 

The complexity of finding a job is partly because a significant number of positions being advertised don't exist. They are "ghost jobs," or openings posted by companies to make it appear they are recruiting and "therefore growing," said The Guardian. In a mirror of career catfishing by job applicants, there's a swing known as "professional ghosting," when companies put hopefuls through "multiple interviews," sometimes even making job offers, before "abruptly ending all communication." If these trends collide, the future just might see "ghost employees for ghost jobs."