NEW: Infamous ‘Squad’ Candidate Loses Primary Race

Far-left social media influencer and former Media Matters journalist Kat Abughazaleh lost her Democratic primary bid to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Illinois, falling short in a crowded race for a deep-blue House seat.

Abughazaleh was one of 15 candidates vying for the nomination in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District after Schakowsky announced she would step aside following nearly three decades in Congress. With the district rated D+19 by the Cook Political Report, Tuesday’s primary was widely seen as the real contest.

The winner was Daniel Biss, the mayor of Evanston and a former state lawmaker, who ran on a more traditional Democratic lane while Abughazaleh tried to turbocharge a younger, online-driven insurgency against the party’s leadership class.

Abughazaleh, 26, became a national name in progressive circles by blending activism with viral content, and she sold herself as a disruptor in a district long dominated by the machine-style politics of Chicago and its northern suburbs. On her campaign website, she pitched what she called “a new type of Democratic campaign,” adding, “If you’re a right-wing billionaire or a member of the Democratic consultant class, this campaign isn’t for you.”

But that message didn’t translate into a winning coalition inside a district where voters have historically rewarded seniority, relationships and a steady hand over online heat.

During the campaign, Abughazaleh also drew attention for breaking with the party’s leadership. She said during a debate she did not support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remaining in charge, a line that played well on the activist left but landed as a red flag with Democrats focused on keeping their caucus unified heading into the midterms.

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Her run also carried baggage after she was indicted on federal charges late last year tied to an incident involving agitators and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle outside a suburban Chicago facility. The case became a political cudgel in a primary already packed with ideological fights and personality clashes.

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Biss largely avoided the public intraparty warfare, and he was the only candidate endorsed by Schakowsky, giving him a major boost with the district’s reliable Democratic base.

With the primary decided, Biss is now positioned as the heavy favorite for November in a seat Democrats have locked down for generations.

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