Daniel Biss secured the Democratic nomination for the 9th Congressional District in Illinois.
Following Representative Jan Schakowsky’s retirement, several candidates sought the nomination, while groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent more than $4 million in the race, according to Axios.
Why It Matters
Heading into Election Day, the leading Democratic contenders were Evanston’s Mayor Biss, Palestinian American former journalist Kat Abughazaleh and state Senator Laura Fine.
Recent national polling shows Democrats’ views of Israel have become more negative in recent years, raising questions on how spending tied to AIPAC could influence the race. A recent NBC poll found that 13 percent of Democrats view Israel positively, compared to 34 percent in a similar 2023 poll.
Punchbowl News reported that AIPAC pushed through more than $21 million through four different open Illinois congressional races this election cycle.
What To Know
Polls for the 9th Congressional District in Illinois closed at 7 p.m. local time Tuesday. Biss won the race with 29.5 percent of the vote, with 91 percent of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
Spending in the race was driven in large part by groups tied to AIPAC, including its PAC and affiliated super PACs. One such group, Elect Chicago Women, spent $2.8 million backing Fine, according to Axios, which also reported the group spent $1.3 million opposing Biss. Another AIPAC-affiliated group, Chicago Progressive Partnership, was formed to target Abughazaleh, Punchbowl News also reported, with Axios saying the group spent about $165,500 against her.
Following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Global Health. The war and tenuous deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump that followed have become major political issues in the United States.
Immigration is also a hot topic in the Illinois 9th Congressional District, which consists of parts of Chicago and its northern suburbs, as some of the candidates have spoken out against immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, including Biss coming face-to-face with then-U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and Abughazaleh having been indicted, accused of interfering in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Some polls leading up to the primary showed Biss leading, with a recent survey from Public Policy Polling finding him with 24 percent, Abughazaleh at 20 percent and Fine with 14 percent. The poll, conducted on March 9 and 10, found that 17 percent of participants hadn’t decided for whom they were voting. The survey of 741 likely Democratic primary voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
An earlier Public Policy Polling survey conducted on February 20 and 21 found Biss with the same 24 percent hold, but Abughazaleh at 17 percent and Fine with 16 percent. In that poll, 22 percent of voters were undecided. The study of 501 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
An early M3 Strategies poll of voters who had already cast ballots by mail or through early voting showed Abughazaleh leading with 29.5 percent support, followed by Biss at 26.2 percent and Fine at 19.7 percent. The poll surveyed 551 Democratic primary voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.18 percentage points.
The district is considered safely Democratic, with Schakowsky having won 68 percent of the vote in 2024.
What People Are Saying
Biss, on X Tuesday night: “Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey. This is a district of fighters, a district of believers, a district of progressive Democrats who know that 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!”
Biss continued in the thread of posts, “I am so grateful to all of the voters, volunteers, and supporters who were a part of this phenomenal team. We’ve still got to get through the November election before we get to Washington.
“But once I get there, my promise to you is this: you will always know where I stand, you will always have a partner in Congress, and you will always have a fighter on your side. You have entrusted me with this enormous responsibility, to represent you at the highest levels of our government. My promise to you is that I will never take that responsibility lightly.”
What Happens Next
Biss will face Republican nominee John Elleson in the November general election.
Read the full article here
