One by one, older establishment Democrats in Congress are being replaced by younger progressives. In one heated Democrat primary Tuesday night in Illinois, the top two candidates were both radical progressives. One of them will very likely be going to U.S. Congress next January.
From the New York Post: Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh’s bid for election to Congress failed Tuesday after Democratic primary voters opted for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss.
Biss’ victory came only hours after his campaign confirmed the mayor had a relationship with a former student while working as a professor at the University of Chicago in 2004.
Abughazaleh, who formerly worked for left-wing organization Media Matters in conducting opposition research against conservative outlets, was one of 15 Democrats jockeying to succeed retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the Land of Lincoln’s 9th District, which covers parts of Chicago and its northwestern suburbs.
The 26-year-old also known as Kat Abu achieved minor online infamy for a series of stunts — including getting herself arrested and charged with conspiracy to impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles during a September 2025 demonstration in Broadview, Ill.
In Tuesday’s Democrat primary, Abughazaleh received about 26% of the vote, but Biss defeated her with 30% of the vote.
Biss, 48, is a former member of both the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Senate. He has been mayor of Evanston, Illinois since 2021. NBC News reported:
Biss, who is Jewish and whose relatives survived the Holocaust, has criticized Israel’s government and called for a Palestinian state while saying he supports the “special relationship” between the U.S. and Israel.
Celebrating his primary election victory Tuesday night, Biss called himself a “true progressive fighter,” and declared “we can never back down from Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies.”
This was one of the most hard fought, closely watched primaries in the country because this district is a bellwether for the entire Democratic party.
Tonight the 9th District made its voice heard loud and clear by rejecting AIPAC’s money and electing a true progressive fighter!
— Daniel Biss (@DanielBiss) March 18, 2026
Meanwhile, John Elleson won the Republican primary for the district, so he will face off against Biss in November.
However, as an example of how deep blue the district is, there were just under 15,000 votes cast in the Republican primary – compared to a little over 121,000 votes cast in the Democrat primary.
Decision Desk HQ projects John Elleson to win the Illinois US House 9 Republican Primary.#DecisionMade: 11:17 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/wu64uSysBY
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) March 18, 2026
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