Is Illinois' Left Ready to Post?

Illinois politics and “accessible” aren’t really words that go together.

A place of smoky attack ads, inherited consultants, press whisperers, Rahm stabbing a table (even though I think that happened in DC — whatever, it’s still Illinois energy) — that’s the vibe, as far as I understand it.

But today, there was a new vibe I hadn’t seen in Illinois politics before, as a “media savvy” challenger, Abughazaleh announced her campaign in the 9th district (Politico covered the campaign launch here).

Kat Abughazaleh is the first person I’ve seen in Illinois to use any of the strategies for comms that even come close to the well-oiled machine of the right’s media ecosystem that targets Chicago — and, so, whether she means to or not, Abughazaleh is running a test case.

🧭 The 9th District and Schakowsky’s Legacy

Illinois’s 9th Congressional District has been represented by Jan Schakowsky since 1999 — a major point of contention in Abughazaleh’s messaging so far, as she says, it’s time for a change. Backed by national groups like Run for Something, this message alludes to national dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party from progressives, a refrain that national leadership is out of touch (to the point that Sanders recently advised progressive to run as independents).

It’s also possible Schakowsky isn’t going to run anyway (especially considering her sanguine response). The district itself is solidly blue and White, encompassing parts of Chicago’s North Side and surrounding suburbs like Evanston and Skokie. Jan Schakowsky has long been considered one of the most progressive members of Congress—she’s a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, backed the Green New Deal, and co-sponsored Medicare for All.

But the generational rift that is such a key part of Abughazaleh’s campaign announcement — between backchannels and broadcast — had already shown up in the 9th district.

Schakowsky’s approach to the genocide was condemned by Arab and Muslim constituents and organizers from Jewish Voice for Peace. She has called for a ceasefire, then co-sponsored Ceasefire Now resolutions — but only after pressure, including actions done at her office protesting her tepid responses to mass death. On this topic in particular, the disconnect is present.

📣 The National Left Media Ecosystem

An Illinois politician who focuses only on national media and ignores local media does so to their detriment. A good example: in 2020, Lori Lightfoot was weirdly antagonistic to local reporters while talking to the national media constantly (one example someone reminded me of recently: locking out a number of POC reporters and proclaiming… she would only speak to POC reporters).

But in 2025, our national media structure is really different. IKat Abughazaleh is 26, and it’s clear that many of those who describe her as alternately an influencer, a video producer, a TikTok maker, and/or a journalist don’t quite understand the new left digital ecosystem (let’s be clear: I’m 34. I barely understand it either). She is connected to Media Matters, Garbage Day, and a growing universe of sharp, funny, anti-fascist content producers who create real journalism that cuts through the right-wing algorithmic nightmare with analysis, calls to action — yes, X takes. 

But it works. Elon Musk sued Media Matters after they exposed hate speech adjacency in his ad network — it was a sign that their comms strategy was landing where it hurt. This ecosystem has real reach—especially among Gen Z and millennial progressives who aren’t watching MSNBC, who want voice, analysis, and meaningful progressive policy instead of word salad.

Content of this kind moves people, raises money, and starts campaigns. But despite this clear impact, these tools and styles remain vastly underused in electoral politics.

Lately this weird tactics skill issue has inspired lots of discourse. Especially around the Democratic Party, which doesn’t update its YouTube channel but constantly sends you sweaty donations texts from Nancy Pelosi.***

Since the right is using everything they’ve got in Chicago, constantly the target of hit jobs, misinformation, and Fox News outrage bait, it’s honestly weird we haven’t seen more people like Abughazaleh in the local landscape already. But she’s here now.

And if Abughazaleh gets traction, it’ll be because she figured out how to bridge the online to offline, the national and local, Gen Z, and everybody else.

🤔 It’s Still Chicago

Since I started writing about Abughazaleh this morning, my inbox has been full of skepticism from longtime organizers, local Schakowsky enthusiasts, and movement veterans wary of both transplants and candidates with national clout but no real connection to the district. They’re worried about parachuting in, skipping steps, and building a brand over building trust. And let’s be real—sometimes that fear is justified.

Without riffing too much or sounding like a Sopranos line, Chicago politics is deep. Even with the 3rd largest media market in the country, compared to other major cities, things get personal quickly, and trust is built at coalition meetings, at union halls, and through showing up. Abughazaleh will have to earn that trust without defensiveness.

She’ll have to mobilize the very online of District 09 together with the very offline — ironically, two extremely weird and polarizing groups of people. It’s kind of beautiful when you think about it.

If Abughazaleh gets traction, it’ll be because she figured out how to bridge the online to offline, the national and local, Gen Z, and everybody else. We need content here — alongside actual organizing, progressive values, and a sense of humility.

No matter how it turns out, this race could bridge the gap between national progressive new media + Chicago's old organizing world — something that would transform Illinois for the better.

-H

PS — if you’re an organizer in Chicago with a rebuttal to any of this, and you can commit to either: writing it down and getting edits or answering your phone in the next 48 hours, reach out.

Photo from campaign website. You can donate here.

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**(My friend Zoe got one recently that just said ZOE THIS IS NANCY PELOSI and while I know this isn’t even the funniest or weirdest DNC text copy out there, I think about it every single day).