In endorsing Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss on Wednesday as her successor in Congress, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said she did so, in part, because of his strong local support while also warning voters to beware of candidates who have received too much backing from “out-of-state donors.”
“I feel a deep responsibility to ensure our residents are represented by someone who fights for our progressive values, has a deep understanding of our community, and knows how to get big things done. I am confident that Daniel Biss is that person,” Schakowsky said in a statement. “We cannot allow out-of-state donors and special interests to buy this seat.”
The comments from the 14-term congresswoman not only sought to build up Biss but also served to knock down some of his opponents, notably progressive digital creator and political commentator Kat Abughazaleh and state Sen. Laura Fine. Both have taken significant campaign cash from contributors outside the district.
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Schakowsky’s endorsement drew cheers from Biss’ supporters but criticism from others, including opponents who said the congresswoman was preserving the status quo in a primary where voters want new voices in Washington as they choose her successor among more than a dozen candidates.
It also marks a departure from Schakowsky’s previous plan, according to a source at the time, to avoid weighing in on the wide field in favor of an open primary.
“This is a wildly, wildly popular elected official in this area,” Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy of Chicago, who has also endorsed Biss, said of Schakowsky. “I think it means a great deal in this race.”
With the March 17 primary a little more than two months away, Biss appears to be among the top fundraisers in the race, along with Abughazaleh and Fine. Skokie school board member Bushra Amiwala and retired FBI special agent Phil Andrew also raised large contributions in the last fully reported fundraising quarter.
Abughazaleh, who moved to the Chicago area in 2024, entered the race before Schakowsky announced she planned to retire, meaning Abughazaleh was set to challenge the longtime congresswoman at an early stage in the campaign. The 26-year-old has risen to the upper echelons of fundraisers, in part due to a massive social media audience.
According to campaign finance records from the last fully reported quarter ending Sept. 30, the vast majority of Abughazaleh’s itemized individual contributions came from out of state; at the same time, her campaign has said it believes she had the greatest number of in-district donors in the race as she has been driven by small donations. Updated fundraising reports from all candidates for the final quarter of last year are due later this month.
Fine has recently drawn scrutiny for seemingly receiving the tacit backing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has pressured another Jewish candidate, Bruce Leon, to say he was leaving the race, according to Leon.
Leon getting “bullied by out-of-state influence” — AIPAC — may have been what Schakowsky was referring to in her statement, Cassidy said.
Fine said last week that she has not sought AIPAC’s endorsement.
The state senator, who has also received endorsements from dozens of local elected officials, issued a statement late Tuesday criticizing the congresswoman’s expected decision.
“I respect Congresswoman Schakowsky’s service, but this race is about the future of our community, not the past,” Fine said. “She’s wrong about Daniel Biss.”
Other Democratic opponents running for the 9th Congressional District seat also criticized the decision, including state Sen. Mike Simmons, who wrote that voters “are hungry for the next generation of bold leaders.”
“Daniel Biss is no Jan Schakowsky,” Andrew, the former FBI special agent, said in a statement. “Look at his campaign: politician after politician endorsing another career politician. The same insiders. The same playbook. The same money. That’s not public service — that’s self-service.”
Biss, who was elected to a second term as Evanston’s mayor last year, quickly vaulted to a competitive fundraising position when he announced his congressional campaign. He previously served eight years in the General Assembly and unsuccessfully campaigned for governor in 2018.
Other candidates in the Democratic primary include state Rep. Hoan Huynh and former federal prosecutor and former Microsoft strategist Nick Pyati.
