From political analyst Russ Stewart:
SCHAKOWSKY HITS THE EXIT
The 9th Congressional District used to be known as the “Jewish seat” back in the 1950s and 1960s. It was nestled on the north Lakefront and its congressman was Sidney Yates (D) who served from 1948 to 1998 (with a 2-year hiatus after losing for Senator in 1962).
In remaps from the 1980s onward the district moved north to Evanston, then west to Skokie, Niles and Park Ridge and now as far as Wauconda and Long Grove in Lake and McHenry counties. And it lost the Lakefront from Lakeview south.
The 1998 primary featured Schakowsky, an Evanston state rep, versus 26-year state senator Howie Carroll, from the West Rogers Park 50th Ward; also running was a rich upstart named JB Pritzker.
It was a battle of geography and base and Schakowsky carried her Evanston/Skokie base 2-1 while getting 30 percent in Chicago; Carroll and Pritzker split the other 70 percent. Jewish turnout was intense. The result was a 48/34/18 Schakowsky win.
The already-formed but unannounced 2026 field consists of
- Evanston Mayor Dan Biss,
- Glenview state Senator Laura Fine – both Jewish – and
- Skokie county commissioner Josina Morita;
- a fourth major contender is LGBTQ Chicago state Rep Kelly Cassidy of the 48th Ward.
- Alderpersons Matt Martin (47th) and
- Maria Hadden (49th) are also in the mix.
Lots of identity politics at play.
But the really off-the-wall candidate is “influencer” Kat Abughazeleh, a 26-year old Gen-Z’er born to a Palestinian immigrant father and Texas mother.
She has 233,000 followers and 5.4 million “likes” on TikTok and 80,000 “subscribers” and 2.4 million “views” on YouTube. Do these fans vote? Do they donate? We’ll see. Apparently, she was able to raise about $378,000, according to published reports. Some call her the “next AOC.”
Biss starts as the favorite.
