WASHINGTON — In a closely watched Democratic primary, influential progressive Kat Abughazaleh was defeated by Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss in her quest for a congressional seat.
Biss secured his win despite revelations earlier that day regarding a past relationship with a former student during his tenure as a professor at the University of Chicago back in 2004.
Abughazaleh, an ex-employee of the progressive watchdog group Media Matters, was among 15 Democratic contenders aiming to fill the seat of retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the 9th District, which encompasses parts of Chicago and its northwest suburbs.
Known online as Kat Abu, the 26-year-old gained notoriety for her activism, notably getting arrested and charged with conspiracy related to a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Broadview, Ill., in September 2025.
As the results came in, Abughazaleh garnered around 26% of the votes, falling short of Biss’ 30% when the Associated Press declared the winner shortly after 10:35 p.m. ET.
Federal allegations against Abughazaleh included vandalizing an ICE officer’s vehicle with the word “PIG,” and a video from the incident depicted an officer forcefully taking her down.
Abughazaleh pleaded not guilty and ripped the charge as an “attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up.”
Both Abughazaleh and Biss support abolishing ICE and enacting a single-payer healthcare system. A Palestinian-American, Abughazaleh also attacked her rival for not being hard enough on Israel — even highlighting Biss’ meeting with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee earlier in the campaign.
Biss sought to distinguish himself from Abughazaleh by focusing on his experience as a politician, which included eight years in the Illinois legislature and a failed run for governor in 2018.
The race divided Democrats in Washington, with Biss winning the backing of Schakowsky as well as Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar (D-Texas), former CPC Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Abughazaleh got support from “Squad” Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), as well as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
Recently, Abughazaleh faced controversy over revelations that she grew up in a $3.3 million Dallas mansion despite frequently portraying herself as coming from humble origins.
“Am I poor? Right now, yeah,” she told NBC Chicago last week. “I have depleted my savings. I have been financially independent since I was 21.”
Earlier this year, the influencer faced controversy after she doozed through a virtual forum, which she blamed on narcolepsy-induced “sleep attacks.”
Meanwhile, Biss was accused by Megan Wachspress of having a relationship with her when she was a mathematics and political science major at UChicago in a Bluesky and Substack post on Monday.
A spokesperson for the aspiring congressman said in a statement late Monday that Biss was 26 and Wachspress was 20 when the “ill-advised relationship” took place. He was not married at the time.
Biss will be heavily favored to keep the seat in Democratic hands in November. A Republican has not been elected to represent the 9th District since 1946.
