Israel is emerging as a central theme in the upcoming midterms, with one of the clearest examples being Illinois’s 9th district Democratic primary.
The retiring incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently withdrew her support for Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the neighboring 2nd district over campaign contributions from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Schakowsky is endorsing Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to succeed her, citing his refusal to be steered by “outside interests” like AIPAC.
Biss has leaned into this issue and denounced the Israel lobbying group’s influence on elections. Although AIPAC hasn’t officially backed a candidate in the primary, it’s reportedly targeting Biss for being insufficiently pro-Israel.
Elect Chicago Women, a Super PAC with alleged AIPAC ties that’s running attack ads against Biss, is a leading backer of Laura Fine, a pro-Israel state Senator also running for the seat. AIPAC has already spent over $2 million in support of Fine, and, according to an analysis by WBEZ Chicago, nearly 70% of her individual donors have also contributed money to the lobbying group.
“Everyone knows that that’s AIPAC’s money, but they’re hiding behind these new shell organizations to pretend otherwise,” Biss recently told reporters.
“The 9th District of Illinois is enormously diverse and includes a large and diverse and deeply engaged Jewish community, the overwhelming majority of which does not want to see this kind of hardline far-right politics,” he continued. “And so we are going to do everything we can to tell the truth of not only who is providing this money, but what they are demanding in exchange.”
Despite his criticisms of AIPAC, Biss met with the organization early in the campaign, has refused to refer to what’s happening in Gaza as a genocide, and has a well-documented record of supporting Israel. In 2017, while running for Governor of Illinois, Biss dumped his running mate, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, over his support of the BDS movement.
Illinois-based political strategist Frank Calabrese told Jewish Insider that AIPAC’s attacks on Biss could backfire on the group and help elect progressive activist Kat Abughazaleh, who is much stronger on Palestine.
Abughazaleh is not the only candidate highlighting Palestinian human rights. Skokie school board member Bushra Amiwala and State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) have both referred to what’s happening in Gaza as a genocide and are calling for an arms embargo. However, multiple polls have shown Abughazaleh as a leading candidate.
A similar situation just played out in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 11th district, where AIPAC targeted centrist Tom Malinowski, inadvertently helping to nominate community organizer Analilia Mejia, the only candidate in the race who referred to Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.
Abughazaleh, who is a Palestinian-American, was recently endorsed by Justice Democrats and the newly launched Peace, Accountability, Leadership PAC (PAL PAC), and she’s consistently criticized Biss from the left on the issue of Israel.
“Kat Abughazaleh represents an exciting new wave of bold and progressive democratic candidates in the 2026 midterms,” said PAL PAC executive director Margaret DeReus in a statement. “Abughazaleh is unapologetically committed to Palestinian human rights and her constituents, with a platform centered on investing resources back into the 9th district, instead of sending billions of US tax dollars to fund Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians.”
In a televised debate between Fine, Biss, and herself on February 25, Abughazaleh said she supported conditioning aid to Israel over its human rights record, including aid used for its Iron Dome system.
“Defensive weaponry is an oxymoron. Weapons are inherently offensive,” she explained.
“We need to condition all aid to any country, any ally, it doesn’t matter if it’s Israel. If we aren’t using our leverage, there is no reason to condition any aid,” Abughazaleh continued.
In the same debate, Abughazaleh criticized Fine and Biss for meeting with AIPAC.
“An organization that supports this administration and that’s supporting a genocide is not a group you should meet with,” she told viewers.
AIPAC has recently begun targeting Abughazaleh in digital attack ads. The spot claims she’s to the right of Donald Trump, based on statements she made when she was 16.
A recent survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by the Evanston RoundTable, found Biss leading the pack among decided voters at 24%, with Abughazaleh and Fine slightly behind at 17% and 16%, respectively. According to the survey, a fifth of likely primary voters remain undecided.
The election takes place on March 17.
