U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky endorses Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss as her successor

Retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has given a hefty endorsement to Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss in the crowded 9th Congressional District race to replace her.

Although Schakowsky had thought of staying out of the race, the decision to endorse Biss is a big boost to his bid in the March 17 Democratic primary. Social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh and Biss have gone head-to-head in fundraising for the heated race, with Abughazaleh and Biss boasting more than $1 million cash on hand and Abughazaleh taking a slight lead last year. The next Federal Election Commission fundraising deadline is Jan. 31.

"Daniel has served our community as an activist, a legislator, and now as Mayor of Evanston, and he has earned our trust and respect. An effective and fearless fighter for progressive causes, he has taken on and won tough fights over powerful special interests, worked to lower costs for families, strengthened LGBTQ+ protections, expanded retirement savings options for Illinoisans, passed landmark municipal environmental and reparations legislation, and bolstered abortion rights statewide," Schakowsky said in announcing her endorsement. "Furthermore, his courageous stands against ICE and Border Patrol leader Gregory Bovino show that no matter the pressure, he will never back down as we take on Donald Trump and his corrupt administration."

The longtime Democratic congresswoman also pointedly said that she didn't want "out-of-state donors and special interests to buy this seat."

Biss called Schakowsky an "icon," and a "true friend."

"Jan’s moral clarity and courage are part of what moved me to start organizing more than 20 years ago, and she has been a role model for me ever since," Biss said in a statement. "It means the world to me that she trusts me to continue her remarkable legacy."

Biss was elected Evanston mayor in 2021 after serving eight years in the Illinois House and Senate.

Biss had a tense standoff with Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino in Evanston in December after federal agents detained a man at a gas station, one of at least 10 arrests that day. Biss later described Bovino as a "condescending, sarcastic liar." The Evanston mayor also posted social media videos showing federal agents tear gassing him and other other protesters outside the Broadview ICE Processing Center in September.

Federal immigration enforcement in the Chicago area has become a focal point of the campaign. Abughazaleh and five others have been charged with conspiring to impede a federal officer in Broadview. The charges stem from a protest Sept. 26 outside the facility. The defendants each face a conspiracy charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of six years. Abughazaleh is fighting the charge and calling it unjust "lawfare."

Abughazaleh in December launched a six-figure ad buy on cable, becoming the first candidate in the race to run ads. Her campaign has boasted that she isn't beholden to special interests groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and that she has raised more than $2.5 million from grassroots donors with no money coming from billionaires or corporate PACs.

State Sen. Laura Fine, also running for the seat, has distanced herself from AIPAC but has taken money from AIPAC supporters. She has not directly received money from AIPAC.

Fine responded to the endorsement by saying, she "has never backed down from a fight."

"I respect Congresswoman Schakowsky's service, but this race is about the future of our community, not the past," Fine said in a statement. "She’s wrong about Daniel Biss and my record shows that I’ll fight the hardest to protect residents in the 9th Congressional district from the billionaires and insurance companies that Donald Trump is determined to let screw us over.”

A total of 17 Democratic candidates are running for the seat in the primary, including State Sen. Mike Simmons, State Rep. Hoan Huynh, Skokie School District board member Bushra Amiwala, retired FBI special agent Phil Andrew and former federal prosecutor Nick Pyati.