Kat Abughazaleh knows how to create viral moments. Can she translate that into votes?

Kat Abughazaleh has embraced online virality to challenge traditional politics in Illinois’s 9th Congressional District.

“Kat Abughazaleh started off a recent debate in her Illinois Democratic primary with a correction for the moderator: She sees herself as a researcher and journalist, not an “influencer”

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During a recent debate, she corrected the moderator, saying she is a researcher and journalist, not an influencer.

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She frames her past work as fighting the far right and notes that the very people she used to report on—Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, Tom Homan—know she challenged them.

The moment went viral on her YouTube and TikTok accounts, drawing far more views than the debate itself.

Her ability to generate attention online has allowed her to upend the traditional political playbook and lean into a digital-first campaign, including livestream fundraising on Twitch.

She is a first-time candidate with few local endorsements, facing opponents with longer ties to the district.

Abughazaleh moved to the district last May and has turned her campaign office into a mutual aid hub.

The leading contenders, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and state Sen. Laura Fine, have long ties to the district, having served in the state legislature and lived there for decades.

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Jaimey Sexton, a Chicago-based Democratic strategist, said carpetbagger attacks matter less today in a more transient society.

Abughazaleh grew up in Dallas and is the granddaughter of a Republican operative on her mother’s side and, on her father’s side, survivors of the Nakba of 1948.

Her background as a Palestinian American and a former conservative has shaped key parts of her approach to politics.

During the 2024 Democratic National Convention, she was credentialed as a content creator and camped outside with activists who pushed unsuccessfully for a Palestinian speaker.

Abughazaleh has been the most vocal critic of Israel and its war in Gaza, which she has called a genocide.

“Kat Abughazaleh started off a recent debate in her Illinois Democratic primary with a correction for the moderator: She sees herself as a researcher and journalist, not an “influencer”

CNN

A UN Commission found last year that Israel committed genocide in Gaza in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack, a claim Israel has denied.

She argues that Biss and Fine have not gone far enough in criticizing Israel.

Several Democratic candidates in the race have criticized the millions of dollars pouring into the race from dark-money groups tied to AIPAC.

The Chicago Progressive Partnership started running attacks against Abughazaleh in the final days, which she says is a sign that AIPAC is worried about her momentum.

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment.

Abughazaleh’s online presence has helped her outraise the rest of her Democratic rivals, while she rejects traditional fundraising strategies like calling donors.

Her campaign relies on small-dollar donations, many of which come through livestreams she hosts on Twitch.

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She has endorsements from Rep. Ro Khanna and Justice Democrats, while Biss and Fine have donations from people who have previously given to AIPAC causes.

Chicago Progressive Partnership, a new super PAC tied to Elect Chicago Women, started running attacks against Abughazaleh in the final days, which she says signals that AIPAC is worried about her momentum.

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment.

She was one of six people indicted for protesting outside an ICE facility in Broadview; the group, dubbed the Broadview Six, has used the incident in her campaign.

Her closing campaign ad features footage of law enforcement shoving and knocking her to the ground.