The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC has endorsed Mayor Daniel Biss for the open Illinois House seat over grassroots candidate Kat Abughazaleh following her indictment.
The announcement, from co-chairs Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), comes months before the March 17 primary.
“He will be a strong partner in moving forward critical legislation, including Medicare for All, the PRO Act, a wealth tax on billionaires and ultra millionaires, as well as holding ICE accountable, and ensuring humane reforms to our immigration system,” the co-chairs said in a statement. “Because of his deep roots in the district, we are confident he will continue to build a broad, diverse coalition of local and in-district support.”
Biss, a former state Senate and House member, now serves as the mayor of Evanston, Illinois. The 48-year-old is a progressive Democrat who began a career in politics at 25. He launched his congressional campaign, saying Democrats need people who are not “afraid of the tough fights” and who have “a record of winning the big ones.”
“With our democracy facing an unprecedented assault from Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is leading the fight to put our government back on the side of people,” Biss said in the statement.
Influencer and former progressive watchdog group staffer Abughazaleh announced her candidacy originally to challenge incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) before Schakowsky announced her retirement, as a wave of young Democratic grassroots candidates have announced their campaigns.
Abughazaleh was indicted by the Justice Department earlier this year for allegedly blocking vehicles outside of a federal immigration facility while protesting. She was charged along with two other political candidates.
The 26-year-old has pledged not to accept corporate funding for her campaign and not to employ “inefficient” tactics, such as campaign texts, cable ads, or consultants who have not won, in an effort to challenge the campaign norm.
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She promised to rely on small donors, as she has a massive social media reach with hundreds of thousands of followers across multiple platforms. Her campaign announcement video gained significant traction with 14 million views on X as of Tuesday.
The CPC PAC’s endorsement comes after Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York City last month. He is part of the larger movement in the Democratic Party to shift toward young, grassroots candidates.