Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston, Ill., has won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, the Associated Press called, prevailing in a crowded field for a Chicago-area seat that has not been open in nearly three decades.
His victory in the safely Democratic district settles a contested primary of more than a dozen Democrats vying to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81, who first took office in 1999 and endorsed Biss. Biss also received endorsements from national figures including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. On the campaign trail he emphasized his elected-office experience and a willingness to press progressive priorities while opposing President Trump’s agenda. “I just don’t think we can afford to compromise on either of those two things,” he told NPR before the primary.
Political newcomer Kat Abughazaleh finished second, about four percentage points behind Biss with more than 90% of votes counted, according to the AP. The 26-year-old progressive researcher and commentator ran an anti-establishment campaign arguing Democrats must deliver tangible results and rethink long-standing party norms. Had she prevailed, she would have been on track to become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress. Biss, 48, is a member of Generation X, and generational dynamics figured into the race.
The primary was also shaped by debate over the role of special-interest groups, particularly pro-Israel organizations aligned with AIPAC. Individuals and groups connected to AIPAC spent millions in the contest attacking Biss and supporting state Sen. Laura Fine. Biss, who is Jewish, has denounced AIPAC but disclosed meeting with the group early in his campaign and faced criticism for not taking a clearer position on U.S. aid to Israel. Abughazaleh, who is Palestinian American, has criticized Israel’s war efforts in Gaza as a genocide.
Late in the campaign, Biss faced scrutiny after a former student accused him of “an inappropriate romantic relationship.” The campaign acknowledged the relationship in a statement saying it occurred in 2004, when Biss was a 26-year-old postdoctoral instructor at the University of Chicago and the student was 20, adding, “Daniel realized then, as he does now, that it was ill-advised, and he ended it.”
