Daniel Biss wins Democratic primary to replace Jan Schakowsky
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Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic primary to succeed longtime Rep. jan Schakowsky in Illinois’s 9th District, defeating progressive Kat Abughazaleh and state Senator Laura Fine. The race was called by the Associated Press at 10:36 p.m., with Biss receiving 29.6% of the vote, Abughazaleh 25.6%, and Fine 20.4% under illinois’s plurality system. Schakowsky endorsed Biss, who also drew support from Senators tammy Duckworth and Elizabeth Warren, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Abughazaleh,a Palestinian American activist who had gained momentum after protesting a detention facility,mounted a strong challenge late in the campaign. The race featured involvement from the pro-Israel group AIPAC, wich reportedly pulled back its messaging after criticism. Biss will face Republican John Elleson in November in a district considered a safe Democratic seat.
Daniel Biss defeats Kat Abughazaleh in Democratic primary to replace Jan Schakowsky
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss defeated two strong competitors in the Democratic primary to replace longtime Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in Illinois’s 9th District on Tuesday night.
The Associated Press called the race for Biss at 10:36 p.m., over two hours after the polls closed. Biss won with 29.6% of the vote, with progressive Kat Abughazaleh coming in second place with 25.6% of the vote. Democratic state Sen. Laura Fine came in third with 20.4%.
Illinois operates under a plurality system, meaning the person with the most votes wins even if they receive less than 50% of the vote.
Schakowsky had endorsed Biss as her successor. Biss also received endorsements from Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
This is the mayor’s second attempt at a higher office, after losing a 2018 bid for governor against Pritzker.
Unlike the Senate race, the 9th District’s Democratic primary was a target of allies of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying group. AIPAC had heightened its attacks against Biss throughout the primary, which was originally intended Fine, their preferred candidate.
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But the attacks allowed Abughazaleh, a progressive, Palestinian American, and a vocal critic of Israel, to gain significant momentum in the final days of the race, so AIPAC pulled back all of its anti-Biss messaging, per Politico.
Despite a second place finish, Abughazaleh’s results capped off a strong, grassroots campaign that she launched before Schakowsky, 81, officially announced she would not seek a 15th term in Congress. Abughazaleh gained national attention when she was arrested on federal charges for protesting outside an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Broadview, Illinois.
Biss will face Republican John Elleson in the general election in November. The race is considered a safe Democrat seat.
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