Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss projected to win crowded Democratic primary in Illinois 9th Congressional District
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 9th Congressional District in Illinois, one of the most closely watched congressional races in the 2026 midterms, where 15 Democrats jumped into the race after long-term U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky decided to retire at the end of her term.
With 90% of the vote in, Biss is leading with 29.6% of the vote, social media influencer and journalist Kat Abughazaleh is in second place with 25.6%, and Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine is in third place with 20.4%. None of the other 12 candidates are in double digits.
The district includes several neighborhoods on the North Side of Chicago, including Uptown, Edgewater, Andersonville, Rogers Park, and West Ridge; as well as several northern and northwestern suburbs, including Evanston, Skokie, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Algonquin, Prospect Heights, and Fox River Grove.
The crowded field of 15 Democrats running for the seat spanned three generations, from Gen X to Gen Z, and with so many candidates on the ballot, the winner might need only a relatively small percentage to move on to the general election.
Most of the candidates in the race have supported progressive campaign platforms, including backing Medicare for all or some other form of universal healthcare, providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and significantly overhauling or abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
With a large field of candidates, it's also drawn millions of dollars in campaign contributions.
Federal campaign finance records show Abughazaleh, who just moved to Illinois in 2024, raised more than $3.3 million for her campaign, with most of her donations coming from people who gave $200 or less, and most of those contributions coming from outside Illinois.
Fine raised more than $2.5 million, with most of that money coming from outside Illinois, from donors who gave $1,000 or more.
Biss raised more than $2.3 million, with nearly $2 million of that coming from Illinois donors, and most of his donations coming from people who gave $2,000 or more.
Andrew raised more than $1.3 million, Amiwala raised more than $1.1 million, and Huynh raised more than $1 million. No other candidate raised more than six figures.
Four Republicans are also running for the seat, but the winner will face an uphill battle against Biss in the November general election. Democrats have held the seat since 1949.