WASHINGTON — 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 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.
She received about 26% of the vote compared to Biss’ 30% support when the Associated Press called the race just after 10:35 p.m. ET.
The feds accused Abughazaleh of scrawling the word “PIG” on an ICE officer’s vehicle, while footage of the confrontation showed an officer throwing her to the ground.
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.
