Illinois Congressman Biss wins Schakowsky seat primary

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District, defeating progressive challengers and outside spending primarily centered on Israel policy.

Objective Facts

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District on March 17, 2026. With 90% of the estimated vote tallied in the district stretching from the North Side to Wilmette to Crystal Lake, Biss had 29.6%, progressive commentator Kat Abughazaleh had 25.6% and state Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview had 20.4%, leading the 15-candidate field. The flood of super PAC spending in the district, which drew more ad spending than any other House primary in the state, largely sought to benefit Fine. First, it tried to boost her, then it attacked Biss, before it subsequently criticized Abughazaleh and boosted up another, lower-polling progressive in an apparent attempt to split the progressive vote. Biss will face Republican pastor John Elleson in November's general election. But the seat is seen as reliably Democrat.

Left-Leaning Perspective

Left-leaning outlets framed Biss's victory as a triumph of grassroots organizing over pro-Israel lobby spending. "AIPAC and its affiliates poured more than $7 million into a Democratic primary to stamp out opposition to Netanyahu's policies — using shell PACs to obscure their involvement — and the voters rejected that effort," J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee failed on Tuesday to secure wins in the two Illinois US House primaries it invested the most money in. In Illinois' 7th and 9th Congressional Districts, AIPAC spent millions backing Chicago treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who finished second, and Democratic State Sen. Laura Fine, who finished third. Progressive outlets emphasized the significance of a progressive candidate resisting institutional opposition. Kat Abughazaleh, Biss's main progressive rival, said: "We forced our opponents to the left and to be more aggressive against this administration." Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, said: "Though Kat narrowly lost this race, we are proud to have backed this campaign that helped ensure the people of IL-09 would not be represented by another AIPAC shill. This outcome is a massive loss for AIPAC as they lose more and more influence within the Democratic Party." Left outlets framed dark money and AIPAC's shell organizations as the scandal. Dozens of super PACs in Illinois sought to influence the competitive Democratic primaries, often while concealing both their donors and broader intentions. In the 9th District, AIPAC used groups with uncontroversial titles like "Elect Chicago Women" and "Chicago Progressive Partnership" to boost its pick, Fine, and pit progressive candidates against one another. The spending appeared to come up short Tuesday night, when Fine finished in third. The Illinois primaries presented a test for AIPAC in particular, which with its affiliated groups spent more than $22 million in races in and around deep-blue Chicago while obscuring the pro-Israel lobby's involvement amid growing criticism.

Right-Leaning Perspective

Conservative and mainstream outlets provided limited explicit right-wing analysis, as the district is safely Democratic and the Republican primary attracted minimal attention. John Elleson, the Republican nominee, won without hitting the $5,000 fundraising or spending threshold that requires political hopefuls to file financial reports with the Federal Election Commission. He said he didn't want to accept campaign contributions until he was the nominee. Elleson said his campaign was limited to old-fashioned, face-to-face outreach. "It don't take money to go door to door," he said. AIPAC and pro-Israel groups offered an alternative framing of their own involvement. "While disappointed Laura Fine didn't prevail, the pro-Israel community is proud to have helped defeat would-be Squad members Kat Abughazaleh and Bushra Amiwala, who centered their campaigns on attacking Israel and demonizing pro-Israel Americans," AIPAC said in a statement. ("Cope," Biss wrote on X/Twitter in response.) Some observers noted the qualified nature of the defeat for AIPAC. AIPAC fell short in the closely watched race to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th district. It backed staunchly pro-Israel state Sen. Laura Fine, who came in third behind left-wing influencer Kat Abughazaleh and progressive Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss. The group spent millions going after Biss at first, but pivoted in the final stretch of the campaign to going primarily after Abughazaleh with ads suggesting she secretly holds right-wing views and boosting a lower tier progressive candidate, Bushra Amiwala.

Deep Dive

The Illinois 9th District primary on March 17, 2026, became a national bellwether test of Democratic Party tensions over Israel policy and the role of outside spending in primaries. Biss' victory caps one of the most competitive races Illinois has seen in years, with 15 Democrats scrambling for a seat that opened up for the first time since 1999. The race featured an unusually stark three-way ideological split: Biss (established progressive with Holocaust-survivor heritage willing to criticize Israel), Abughazaleh (Palestinian American fiercely critical of Israeli policies), and Fine (moderate legislator with pro-Israel establishment backing). The outcome reveals genuine complexity in how Democratic voters balance competing values. Both sides in the Israel debate got something. Progressives can correctly note that the most anti-Israel candidate (Abughazaleh) came very close despite AIPAC spending millions against her, and that their preferred candidate (Biss) won while the AIPAC-backed Fine came third. But AIPAC and pro-Israel groups can also note they successfully suppressed Abughazaleh's momentum in the final weeks through their support for Amiwala (whose vote total, combined with Abughazaleh's, would have exceeded Biss), and they won AIPAC-backed candidates in other Illinois races the same evening. What went wrong for AIPAC was the degree to which their heavy-handed tactics—visible shell PACs, transparent vote-splitting strategies—became a liability in a district of politically engaged progressives. "It seems their spending harmed their candidate because it's so toxic in this politically active district," a senior House progressive told Axios, noting Biss was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Key unknowns and implications ahead include whether Biss's model of combining demonstrated elected experience with progressive endorsements and anti-AIPAC positioning will succeed in the heavily Democratic general election, and whether his narrow primary victory (29.6% in a 15-way race) signals he'll need to unify the 70% of Democrats who voted for someone else. The race also raises questions about the future of Democratic Party consensus on Israel as younger voters and Arab American constituencies gain relative influence.

OBJ SPEAKING

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Illinois Congressman Biss wins Schakowsky seat primary

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District, defeating progressive challengers and outside spending primarily centered on Israel policy.

Mar 17, 2026· Updated Mar 23, 2026
What's Going On

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the 9th Congressional District on March 17, 2026. With 90% of the estimated vote tallied in the district stretching from the North Side to Wilmette to Crystal Lake, Biss had 29.6%, progressive commentator Kat Abughazaleh had 25.6% and state Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview had 20.4%, leading the 15-candidate field. The flood of super PAC spending in the district, which drew more ad spending than any other House primary in the state, largely sought to benefit Fine. First, it tried to boost her, then it attacked Biss, before it subsequently criticized Abughazaleh and boosted up another, lower-polling progressive in an apparent attempt to split the progressive vote. Biss will face Republican pastor John Elleson in November's general election. But the seat is seen as reliably Democrat.

Left says: Progressives are hailing Daniel Biss' win in Illinois' 9th District primary as a blueprint for how the left can prevail against an avalanche of AIPAC funding in open seats. "AIPAC and its affiliates poured more than $7 million into a Democratic primary to stamp out opposition to Netanyahu's policies — using shell PACs to obscure their involvement — and the voters rejected that effort," Ben-Ami said.
Right says: I found limited right-wing analysis of the Democratic primary. Republican nominee John Elleson won without hitting the $5,000 fundraising or spending threshold that requires political hopefuls to file financial reports with the Federal Election Commission. He said he didn't want to accept campaign contributions until he was the nominee. Elleson said his campaign was limited to old-fashioned, face-to-face outreach. "It don't take money to go door to door," he said.
✓ Common Ground
Several commentators across the political spectrum agreed that the race became nationally significant as a test of progressive versus establishment Democratic preferences, with generational and ideological divides playing central roles in the outcome.
Both left and right acknowledged the unprecedented scale of outside spending in the primary, with figures exceeding $22 million from AIPAC-affiliated groups and other outside actors marking the race as among the costliest congressional primaries nationally.
Some voices on both sides, including AIPAC itself, acknowledged that Biss, the ultimate winner, holds progressive positions on Israel and Palestinian issues—suggesting agreement that the district prioritizes progressive economic and social policies regardless of the pro-Israel lobby's preferences.
Objective Deep Dive

The Illinois 9th District primary on March 17, 2026, became a national bellwether test of Democratic Party tensions over Israel policy and the role of outside spending in primaries. Biss' victory caps one of the most competitive races Illinois has seen in years, with 15 Democrats scrambling for a seat that opened up for the first time since 1999. The race featured an unusually stark three-way ideological split: Biss (established progressive with Holocaust-survivor heritage willing to criticize Israel), Abughazaleh (Palestinian American fiercely critical of Israeli policies), and Fine (moderate legislator with pro-Israel establishment backing). The outcome reveals genuine complexity in how Democratic voters balance competing values.

Both sides in the Israel debate got something. Progressives can correctly note that the most anti-Israel candidate (Abughazaleh) came very close despite AIPAC spending millions against her, and that their preferred candidate (Biss) won while the AIPAC-backed Fine came third. But AIPAC and pro-Israel groups can also note they successfully suppressed Abughazaleh's momentum in the final weeks through their support for Amiwala (whose vote total, combined with Abughazaleh's, would have exceeded Biss), and they won AIPAC-backed candidates in other Illinois races the same evening. What went wrong for AIPAC was the degree to which their heavy-handed tactics—visible shell PACs, transparent vote-splitting strategies—became a liability in a district of politically engaged progressives. "It seems their spending harmed their candidate because it's so toxic in this politically active district," a senior House progressive told Axios, noting Biss was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Key unknowns and implications ahead include whether Biss's model of combining demonstrated elected experience with progressive endorsements and anti-AIPAC positioning will succeed in the heavily Democratic general election, and whether his narrow primary victory (29.6% in a 15-way race) signals he'll need to unify the 70% of Democrats who voted for someone else. The race also raises questions about the future of Democratic Party consensus on Israel as younger voters and Arab American constituencies gain relative influence.

◈ Tone Comparison

Left-leaning sources emphasize corruption and hidden money ('shell PACs,' 'dark money,' 'obscuring,' 'toxic'). Right-leaning and pro-Israel sources focus on defending legitimate political participation ('helped defeat,' 'proud to,' 'would-be Squad members attacking Israel'). Both sides claim victory in different ways—progressives claim the people rejected AIPAC, while AIPAC claims it successfully defeated more extreme anti-Israel candidates despite losing the primary itself.

✕ Key Disagreements
Whether AIPAC's spending was problematic or justified
Left: AIPAC spent more than $22 million through concealed shell PACs ('Elect Chicago Women,' 'Chicago Progressive Partnership') to obscure its involvement, using deceptive tactics to suppress progressive votes—a corruption of democracy.
Right: AIPAC spent money to support pro-Israel candidates and defeat candidates it viewed as hostile to Israel's interests—a legitimate exercise of free speech and political participation in a contested primary.
The meaning of Biss's victory
Left: Biss's win represents a rejection of AIPAC's influence and a victory for grassroots organizing against dark money; progressives forced the entire field leftward.
Right: While Biss won, AIPAC can claim credit for defeating more extreme anti-Israel candidates (Abughazaleh, Amiwala) and securing two other victories elsewhere in Illinois, showing its spending still matters.
How to characterize criticism of Israeli government policy
Left: Candidates like Abughazaleh and Biss are justified in criticizing Israel's actions in Gaza and opposing unconditional aid; this represents legitimate progressive foreign policy debate.
Right: AIPAC framed opposition to unconditional Israel aid as 'attacking Israel and demonizing pro-Israel Americans,' suggesting such criticism crosses into hostility toward the country and its supporters.