Daniel Biss secured the Democratic nomination for Illinois' 9th Congressional District.
Following Representative Jan Schakowsky's retirement, several candidates sought the nomination, while groups affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent more than $4 million in the race, according to Axios.
Heading into Election Day, the leading Democratic contenders were Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, former journalist and Palestinian American Kat Abughazaleh, and state Senator Laura Fine.
Recent national polling shows Democrats' views of Israel have become more negative in recent years, raising questions about how spending tied to the AIPAC could influence the race. A recent NBC poll found that 13 percent of Democrats view Israel positively, compared to 34 percent in a similar 2023 poll.
Punchbowl News reported that AIPAC pushed through more than $21 million through four different open Illinois congressional races this election cycle.
Polls in Illinois' 9th Congressional District closed at 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Biss won the race with 29.5 percent of the vote, with 91 percent of the votes counted, according to The Associated Press.
Spending in the race was driven in large part by groups tied to AIPAC, including its PAC and affiliated super PACs. One such group, "Elect Chicago Women," spent $2.8 million backing Fine, according to Axios. Axios also reported the group spent $1.3 million opposing Biss. Another AIPAC-affiliated group, Chicago Progressive Partnership, was formed to target Abughazaleh, Punchbowl News reported, with Axios reporting it spent about $165,500 against her.
Following Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians in the war, according to a recent study published in The Lancet Global Health. The war and the fragile Trump deal that followed have become a major political issue in the United States.
Immigration is also a hot topic in Illinois' 9th Congressional District, which consists of parts of Chicago and its northern suburbs, as some of the candidates have spoken out against immigration agents during Operation Midway Blitz, including Biss coming face-to-face with then-U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino and Abughazaleh having been indicted for alleged interference in ICE operations.
Some polls leading up to the primary showed Biss at the front, with a recent survey from Public Policy Polling finding Biss with 24 percent, Abughazaleh at 20 percent and Fine with 14 percent. The poll, conducted between March 9 and 10, found that 17 percent of participants didn't know whom they were voting for yet. The survey of 741 likely Democratic primary voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
An earlier Public Policy Polling survey conducted between February 20 and 21 found Biss with the same 24 percent hold, but Abughazaleh at 17 percent and Fine with 16 percent. In that poll, 22 percent of voters were undecided. The poll of 501 likely voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
An early M3 Strategies poll of voters who had already cast ballots by mail or through early voting showed Abughazaleh leading with 29.5 percent support, followed by Biss at 26.2 percent and Fine at 19.7 percent. The poll surveyed 551 Democratic primary voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.18 percentage points.
The district is considered safely Democratic, with Schakowsky having won 68 percent of the vote in 2024.
Biss on X Tuesday night: "Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this amazing journey. This is a district of fighters, a district of believers, a district of progressive Democrats who know that we can never back down from Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies."
"This was one of the most hard fought, closely watched primaries in the country because this district is a bellwether for the entire Democratic party. Tonight the 9th District made its voice heard loud and clear by rejecting AIPAC's money and electing a true progressive fighter!" Biss continued in the thread of posts, "I am so grateful to all of the voters, volunteers, and supporters who were a part of this phenomenal team. We've still got to get through the November election before we get to Washington."
"But once I get there, my promise to you is this: you will always know where I stand, you will always have a partner in Congress, and you will always have a fighter on your side," Biss said. "You have entrusted me with this enormous responsibility, to represent you at the highest levels of our government. My promise to you is that I will never take that responsibility lightly."
Biss will face Republican nominee John Elleson in the November general election.