Voter Guide: Democratic Primay for US Congress in Illinois 9th District

The 9th District

The Illinois 9th US Congressional District is a heavily gerrymandered mess that snakes from the North Side of Chicago all the way up to Crystal Lake:

Traditional gerrymandering means politicians divide up communities to help their party win more seats. The "bonus" is that it also breaks up strong voting blocks. The North Side of Chicago is split between the 9th and 5th Congressional Districts. Instead of having several left-leaning representatives, every Democrat representing Chicago is a centrist who supports the genocide in Gaza. But I digress. Back to THIS race.

The Primary Race

The Illinois 9th District has been represented by Jan Schakowsky for decades. It's been almost a decade since she even had a primary challenger. That changed in March when Kat Abughazaleh, a political science graduate and journalist with a big TikTok following, announced she was running for the seat. This was a big change from the easy primaries Schakowsky was used to, and she decided on May 5 that it was time to retire. That's when things got interesting.

The field was instantly flooded with opportunists who are happy to play along with the current seniority-based Democratic machine. The Primary is March 17, 2024. A brief biography and overview of serious candidates' campaigns is included below. Here is a quick summary of everyone in the race:

Candidate Overview

Candidate	Notes	$ Raised (as of 6/30/25)
Kat Abughazaleh	Journalist & TikTok influencer (website)	$904,576.47
Daniel Biss	Mayor of Evanston, former State Rep and State Senator, former candidate for Governor (website)	$702,974.99
Laura Fine	State Senator, IL-9 (website)	$262,805.33
Bushra Amiwala	Board of Education, Skokie (website)	$198,993.10
Howard Rosenblum	Civil Rights Attorney, founder/CEO of Deaf Equality (website)	$49,946.00
Miracle Jenkins	Organizer, previously worked for Jan Schakowsky and Bernie (website)	$29,445.76
Bethany Johnson	LGBTQ+ Activist, former Data Manager for Angus King for US Senate in Maine 2018 (website)	$788.94
Bruce Leon	50th Ward Democratic Committeeman, President at Tandem HR (no website)	$610,000 (candidate loan = $610k)
David Abrevaya	High School Math Teacher (no website)	$0
Lauren Million	Political Psychologist, Masters Student (website)	$0
Hoan Huynh	State Representative, IL-9 (website)	$0
Mike Simmons	State Senator, IL-7 (website)	$0
Philip Andrew	Security Consultant, Former FBI Agent (website)	$0

I've written a more detailed financial analaysis of the race here. You can browse more detailed FEC Records here.

Early Polling

In a recent social media post, Kat Abughazaleh shared a poll of 899 likely Democratic voters in the district that showed Daniel Biss is leading, with five other candidates polling at least 3% and most people still undecided:

Even though campaign polling may not be independent, this was the best data available at the time of writing, and will be used to give more insight on the candidates below.

Leading Candidate Profiles

Daniel Biss

On his campaign website, Daniel Biss describes himself as "a dad, husband, mathematician, juggler (no, really) and longtime community leader." Biss is a long-time politician who first ran for State House in 2008. He won an election to the State House in 2010 and then won elections to the State Senate in 2012 and 2014. In 2018, he raised nearly $6.7 million in a failed bid to become the Democratic nominee for Governor, coming in second place to JB Pritzker, earning 26.7% of the vote to Pritzker's 45.1% per Ballotpedia . Biss was elected Mayor of Evanston in 2021 and re-elected in 2025.

According to his website, Biss is running on a three-part platform:

1. Fighting Corporate Power and MAGA Extremism - Supports anti-corruption policies, strong anti-trust enforcement, limiting the power of big tech companies, and banning Elon Musk and DOGE from accessing personal, private information like Social Security, tax, and healthcare records.
2. Putting Money Back in Your Pocket - Supports protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid from any cuts, fighting Trump's efforts to repeal or defund the Inflation Reduction Act, and repealing Trump's tariffs to slow the rising cost of groceries.
3. Protecting Our Democracy - Supports fighting back against Trump's attacks on due process, strengthening privacy rules so the government can't misuse big data, and holding the Trump administration accountable by pushing for aggressive oversight investigations and hearings whenever possible.

While missing some important details, these three points are likely to appeal to a lot of Democratic primary voters. Biss is a seasoned politician and will probably run a tight and disciplined campaign. He has an impressive list of endorsements including Congressman Sean Casten, four State Representatives (Kelly Cassidy, Mary Beth Canty, Sharon Chung, and Nicolle Grasse), five current and three former members of the Evanston City Council, and several other local officials. After signing up for his mailing and volunteer list a few weeks ago, I still haven't received an email or notification, and the campaign doesn't have any events listed on the website, so it seems his campaign hasn't yet activated their volunteer base - at least not publicly.

Kat Abughazaleh

Abughazaleh is a proud Palestinian-American and says on her website, "I'm running for Congress because the same old stuff isn't working — and it won't work to defeat Trump and Musk's agenda." She has over 263,900 followers and 6 million 'likes' on TikTok (@katmabu). The "Issues" listed on her website include more detail and breadth than any of the other campaigns:

1. Anti Authoritarianism - Calls out Donald Trump and the Republican Party, saying their "vision is fascist" and stating that "Historical antifascist movements all prove the same thing: The only way to properly fight fascism is loudly, proudly, and every single day."
2. Basic Existence - Supports a 2% wealth tax on Americans with a net worth over $100 million and raising the minimum wage to $25 per hour.
3. Climate Change - Supports the Green New Deal and more funding for FEMA.
4. Democratic Reform - Supports overturning Citizens United; pledges to serve no more than 5 terms in the House if elected; supports expanding the U.S. Supreme Court to 15 seats and setting an 18-year term limit for the Supreme Court; supports federal action to require nonpartisan redistricting commissions to draw congressional districts "fairly and logically."
5. Education - Supports Universal Pre-K, a federal minimum annual salary of $60,000 for every public school teacher, canceling student debt, free (or at least affordable) college and trade school, and legal protections for free speech at universities and for students. Does not support "school choice," and believes tax dollars should be reserved for public education.
6. Gun Violence - Supports a federal assault weapons ban, universal background checks, required waiting periods, and mandatory gun safety training.
7. Healthcare - Supports a universal single-payer healthcare system that includes dental ("because your teeth are not luxury bones") and eye care; supports drug price negotiation and help for rural healthcare providers.
8. Humane Foreign Policy - Supports more humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine and continued support for Taiwanese sovereignty and military capacity; says that "Countries and militaries that receive financial assistance and weapons from the United States must abide by the simple principle that they must follow international law if they want to keep getting American aid," and that she has, "called and continue to call for a comprehensive bilateral ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which results in the restoration of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the release of hostages held in Gaza, and a total Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip." Notably, she does not directly say Israel is breaking international law or use the word "genocide" to describe the situation.
9. Immigration - Supports an immediate pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and "strongly opposes Donald Trump's insistence on vilifying immigrants."
10. Kids & Families - Supports a big child tax credit, one year of paid parental leave, monthly income and Social Security credits for stay-at-home parents, and a $3,000 per month stipend for stay-at-home parents.
11. LGBTQ+ Protections - Supports legal protections for the queer community (passing the Equality Act and amending the Civil Rights Act to include gender and sexual orientation), protecting the transgender community, and more funding for medical support and research (including making PrEP easily available and affordable for anyone who needs it).
12. Reproductive Rights - Does not support any term restrictions on abortion because they create extreme health risks for women and legal risks for healthcare providers; supports protecting the right to birth control and the morning-after pill and reinvesting in maternal health research to address the high maternal mortality rate in the U.S.
13. Social Security - Opposes any cuts to Social Security and supports a general strike if any cuts are made; supports earned stipends and Social Security credits for stay-at-home parents to compensate them for their work.
14. Veterans - Supports reversing Trump's cuts to the VA and expanding healthcare and assisted living benefits for Veterans.

Even though she is stronger and more specific than any of the other candidates, I was personally disappointed to see that Abughazaleh's stance on Israel/Palestine is couched in the same hedging political-speak as the rest of the Democratic party. If a proud Palestinian-American can't say (1) Israel is committing genocide and (2) The US should not provide weapons or support for Israel's ongoing genocide, then who can?

DISCLAIMER: After finding Abughazaleh on TikTok, I attended a volunteer event last month to help "clean the office." There were a couple dozen volunteers there, doing tasks like folding clothes for the free community store, cleaning paint from the floor, and breaking down boxes. The campaign holds regular "board game nights" and is intentionally building a community and trying to help the constituents - whether or not this leads to an electoral victory.

Laura Fine

On her website, Fine describes a 2010 car accident that seriously injured her husband Michael and her battles with the insurance system as the reason she started a career in public service. She was elected to the State House and then the Senate and describes herself as a leading champion for healthcare access, consumer protection, and mental health services. Fine's website lists the following issues:

1. Lowering costs for working families - Laura passed laws to cut hidden healthcare costs, expand mental health coverage, and fight junk insurance plans because working families deserve real savings, not surprise bills.
2. Standing up to special interests - After taking on the insurance industry for her own family, Laura has passed some of Illinois’ toughest consumer protection laws and fought to lower prescription drug costs — putting patients ahead of profits.
3. Defending women's reproductive rights - Laura helped pass the Reproductive Health Act, which protected a woman's right to choose in Illinois, and fought to expand access to infertility treatments because every woman deserves control over their own body and future.
4. Protecting Social Security and Medicare - Laura is committed to making sure seniors can retire with dignity and in Congress, she'll fight back against any attempt to cut the benefits seniors have earned through a lifetime of hard work.
5. Passing common sense gun safety laws - Laura fought for an assault weapons ban in Illinois and also closed dangerous loopholes that keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
6. Preserving our environment - Laura led the charge to ban harmful products like Styrofoam and crack down on plastic waste, fighting to protect clean air, safe water, and a livable planet for generations to come.

This platform doesn't offer any surprises. While it highlights Fine's record of fighting on these issues, it doesn't look forward or say what specific Federal policies she would support or oppose in Congress.

Bushra Amiwala

Amiwala is another Gen Z candidate, but unlike Abughazaleh, she has campaign and governing experience. After a failed bid for county-wide office as a Depaul University student at just 19 years old, Amiwala was elected to the Skokie School District 73.5 Board of Education in 2019. Her campaign raised $198,993 in the quarter ending 6/30/2024. Along with Abughazaleh, she is the only leading candidate who mentions Palestine and she even links to a page that calls the "humanitarian crisis" what it actually is - genocide. The priorities listed on her website include:

1. Education - Supports making public colleges tuition-free and canceling student loan debt.
2. Economic Justice - Will fight for a living wage, workers' rights and equitable economic policies.
3. Immigration - Supports a pathway to citizenship and and protection for DACA recipients.
4. Healthcare - Supports universal, single-payer healthcare system to ensure comprehensive care for all.
5. Foreign Policy - Advocates for humanitarian aid over military aid and calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. She links to a website that shows how US Taxpayer money if funding the genocide in Palestine.
6. Climate Change - Supports the Green New Deal and a transuition to renewable energy.
7. Basic Human Rights - Standard language regarding protecting immigrants, LGBTQ+ communities, and all races/ethnicities from bigotry in all its forms.
8. Criminal Justice Reform - Supports an end to mass incarceration and the elimination of private prisons.
9. Reproductive Rights - Supports protection and expansion of access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion services.
10. Gun Violence Prevention - Supports enactment of 'common-sense' gun laws.
11. Democracy and Voting Rights - Supports the elimination of gerrymandering and the reduction of the influence of money in politics. Amiwala has also committed to not taking any corporate PAC money.

Other Candidates to Watch

Mike Simmons

According to his website, "In 2021, Mike Simmons became the first openly LGBTQ+ person and the first Ethiopian-American to serve as an Illinois State Senator." Simmons describes himself as a leader on housing, tax relief for working people, expanded access to healthcare and public transit, protecting our drinking water, and defending hard-won human rights. He is the founder of Blue Sky Strategies and Co, a political consulting firm. His website does not list any specific policies or platforms related to the U.S. Congress.

Ram Villivalem

Ram is an Illinois State Senator for the 8th district. Even though he is listed in the polling above, he has not filed FEC paperwork as of 7/14/2025 and does not appear to have a campaign website.

Hoan Huynh

Huynh's website includes a biography with an impressive education (BA from Yale, studied at University of Cambridge, Master's degree from Harvard, coursework at the University of Chicago). Huynh briefly challenged Mike Quigley in the Democratic primary for U.S. Congress in the 5th district in 2022. When a state representative retired and created an open primary in his district, Hoan left the U.S. Congressional campaign and ran for (and won) the Democratic Primary for the 13th State House district in a crowded field. He ran a disciplined campaign focused on door knocking and on-the-ground outreach to constituents. He will likely follow a similar playbook and his current 3% polling will probably only go up. His website does not have any details on his platform.

DISCLAIMER: I was Hoan's Campaign Manager during his primary campaign for the 13th State House district.

Closing Thoughts

As someone who believes in basic human dignity and economic fairness, several policies are important to me: preserving democracy, student loan forgiveness, Medicare for all, and economic fairness (higher taxes on millionaires, $25/hr minimum wage, etc). That said, I've decided that this election cycle I will be a single-issue voter: no more tax dollars or military support for genocide in Palestine. The reason is simple. If a candidate isn't brave enough to say, "bombing children is bad and we should not be funding or providing weapons to an apartheid regime that is committing genocide," I have zero confidence that they will stand up for my rights when it matters. There is a genocide happening and our tax dollars are funding it. Anyone who cannot speak out clearly against this will not be getting my vote. All of the candidates could learn from Beto O'Rourke's recent interview with PBS: voters want fighters who speak clearly, not mealy-mouthed 'centrists.'

If I had to vote today, I'd vote for Kat Abughazaleh. Unfortunately, her campaign has been slow out of the gate and seems to have lost the early momentum she might have had from her large online following and national profile. She has appeared on CNN and other national media, partly because she has been targeted by several MAGA politicians and pundits as a "radical leftist." This has led to a big group of passionate supporters, and free/earned media that most campaigns only dream about. Unfortunately, the campaign so far seems unfocused and hasn't turned this support into boots on the ground (or on the phone). The campaign risks being an online-only echo chamber.

If the Abughazaleh campaign doesn't pick up steam, my next favorite candidate so far is Bushra Amiwala. Amiwala is a Gen Z progressive who has shown she's willing to go against the Democratic machine - she challenged a 16-year incumbent as a 19-year-old. She has also shown she can win, organizing a successful campaign for the Skokie School District 73.5 Board of Education. Most importantly for me, she has called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and her website links to the Not My Tax Dollars website, an organization that uses clear language about the "$17.9 billion in military funding to mass murder the Palestinian people," and that calls the "humanitarian crisis" what it is - genocide. I've signed up to volunteer for Amiwala's campaign and look forward to learning more about her plans.