Daniel Biss Wins Illinois Ninth District in Primary

The IL-09 race was closely watched in the state’s March 17 primary. Daniel Biss emerged victorious with about 30% of the vote. The Associated Press called the race at an estimated count of 94% of the votes.

Daniel Biss

Biss, the mayor of Evanston, is running on an agenda of rebuilding the economy for everyone, empowering workers to organize and bold actions in response to the climate crisis, among others, according to his campaign website. He said his most important issue is ICE reforms, The Phoenix reported. 

He received endorsements from Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who’s held the seat since 1999, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He won with 29.7% of the vote, The Associated Press reported.

Schakowsky and Warren didn’t respond for comment by the time of publication.

As his general election campaign begins, he said he looks toward unifying the democratic party to build the coalition needed to fight back against Trump and the “unbelievable damage” his administration has done to the country.

“I think we’re in a really scary time as a country,” Biss said. “The attacks coming on our most fundamental values and rights are extreme. And I think everybody running for federal office is going to be under a microscope as people try to figure out how we best fight back and protect our neighbors.” 

Biss said the “wall of money” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) spent in an attempt to “keep him out of the race” was the biggest challenge.

AIPAC is a membership organization which promotes bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, according to its website.

“It really changed the whole race and became a focal point of our strategy,” Biss said.

The issues facing college students, like college affordability and student loan debt, aren’t just narrowly focused, according to Biss. He said the issues come on a broader scale, like housing affordability, building a fair economy, affordable healthcare and taxing billionaires.

“That matters for everybody, and I think it particularly matters for people who are in the early phases of their careers,” he said.

He said members of congress need to stand up “clearly and unequivocally” for peace to end the Iran War as it’s the most humane and strategic policy. It would also keep the country away from requiring a draft, of which young adults would likely be conscripted into service.

“This country is in an illegal, dangerous, reckless, stupid war,” Biss said. 

His general election campaign will prioritize transparency. 

“My commitment is to be in the fight, to be active, to be visible, to be accessible, and to partner with everyone across this district to build the society we deserve,” Biss said.

Kat Abughazaleh

Abughazaleh placed behind Biss with 25.9% of the vote, The AP reported. Her policy platform, centered around the statement, “We deserve good things, and we don’t have to settle,” featured issues such as anti-authoritarianism, democratic reform and a free and sovereign Palestine.

Abughazaleh said the Democratic Party hasn’t done enough to stop the Trump administration’s agenda, but said she had the skills and intention to fight back, The Phoenix previously reported. 

Abughazaleh didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Laura Fine

Fine was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 17th district and was elected to represent the ninth district in the state senate in 2019, The Phoenix previously reported. She won with 20.4% of the vote, The AP reported.

Fine fought for mental healthcare in the house after her husband nearly lost his life in a car accident. Among the issues on her campaign agenda were affordable healthcare, especially holding insurance companies accountable. 

Fine declined to comment.

Mike Simmons

Simmons totaled at 7% of the vote, behind Fine. Like Biss, he mentioned his biggest challenge was the campaign finance system. 

“You get drowned out,” he said. “There’s a wall.”

Simmons said he based his campaign around a grassroots movement with a broad coalition of endorsers across school board representatives, Cook County employees and alderpeople. His campaign raised half a million dollars.

Simmons said volunteers for his campaign ranged from high school seniors to citizens “well into their 80s.” He admired the youthful energy and hustle of young people and their “categorical rejection” of fascism and tyranny.

Throughout his campaign, he said the state of democracy remained his most important issue. 

“In one case, people feel like, literally, our democracy is falling apart. In another instance, they feel like the people who represent them are utterly irrelevant to their day-to-day lives,” Simmons said.

Phil Andrew

With a history in gun violence prevention, Andrew came in with 6.2% of the vote, and said his background and experience meets a moment of crisis in the country, and the skills of a career politician aren’t what the moment needs.

Building name recognition and starting in the summer when others had already been running for several months were the biggest challenges his campaign faced.

As the district heads to the midterms in November, Andrew said he foresees the biggest issues being the future of democracy and the place of ethics within it — including removing “dark money” from politics.

Deputy news editor Ava Witherite contributed reporting to this article.