After 14 years representing Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky announced in May 2025 that she would not seek re-election, setting the stage for a wide-open 2026 race. The election will be held on March 17, featuring 21 candidates, 17 democratic, and 4 republican competing for the seat. As of January, 3 candidates have withdrawn from the election, though their names will still be seen on the ballot.
Impact Research polls show that Democratic candidates Daniel Biss, Laura Fine, Kat Abughazaleh, Mike Simmons, Phil Andrew, Bushra Amiwala, and Hoan Huynh are currently leading the election.
Abughazaleh is a Palestinian American journalist, activist, and former union representative. She has reported for Media Matters for America, Mother Jones, and Zeteo News, exposing right-wing extremist, authoritarianism, and disinformation.
Abughazaleh’s agenda includes abolishing Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), protecting immigrant workers’ rights, climate action, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-authoritarianism, structural racism, and reproductive rights.
“…Whether it’s affordability, whether it’s ICE, whether it’s abortion, whether it’s, you know, just being able to fix the potholes on their street,” Abughazaleh said. “I’m like, that’s all politics. If you care about something, it’s politics. And it doesn’t have to be this unequal rich man’s game. It can be a team sport. That’s what we try to do in our campaign.”
Abughazaleh’s campaign provides direct support to affected families, ensures accessible public facilities, and holds violators accountable. Her grassroots approach emphasizes small-dollar donations, community engagement, and open communication through live stream and office hours.
“I’m the only campaign in this race to have majority, small-dollar donations,” Abughazaleh said. “We don’t have the most industry money, but we have the most individual district donors, which fun fact, whether you donate a $1,000 check or $5, it’s still one vote. So we’re really proud of that. Additionally, we have been pushing the conversation left. We have been forcing our opponents to be more progressive in their interviews and aggressive against this administration. For instance, I was the first and loudest person in my race to call for an impeachment.”
If elected, Abughazaleh aims to install a chat feature in the office to allow instant communication between her team and constituents. She also plans to reform the Democratic Party and challenge the influence of corporate PACs, aiming to make policies accountable and responsive to everyday people.
“We need representatives physically putting their bodies on the line with their constituents, because they have more power and platform and privilege than a lot of the people they represent, and they need to be wielding that,” Abughazaleh said.
Amiwala, the first Gen-Z elected official in the United States and a native of Skokie, served on the Skokie School District 73.5 Board of Education, focusing on transparency, accessibility, and inclusive programs for all students. At 19, she launched a campaign for public office and received more than 14,000 votes with strong support from grassroots. She was also appointed to the Illinois Muslim American Advisory Council, where she worked on issues affecting Muslim Americans and immigrant communities.
“As a first-generation American and Gen-Z leader from Skokie, I’ve seen how accessible healthcare, fair wages, strong public schools, and real immigration reform can transform communities across IL-9,” Amiwala said. “That urgency should exist in Congress too.”
Amiwala’s core focus in her campaign is to make housing accessible to families in the 9th district. She plans on addressing taxes and how relief is crucial for working families, and the need for federal investment in schools so that local families aren’t bearing much of that responsibility.
“I want to make it possible for people to stay in the communities they love,” Amiwala said. “Right now, too many families in IL-9 are being priced out or struggling to find housing they can afford. We are in the middle of a historic housing shortage, and it comes up in almost every conversation I have. I will fight for major federal investment in affordable housing, stronger tenant protections, and practical reforms that make it easier for families to access the help they already qualify for.”
Her campaign highlights issues such as ICE policies, healthcare reform, immigration, and reproductive rights, while also advocating for students through expanded educational opportunities, safe school environments, and providing stronger financial support for young people pursuing their goals.
Andrew is a longtime resident of Illinois’ 9th District, a survivor of gun violence who later served as an FBI special agent and founded the PAX group, a crisis and conflict management firm.
“Our country and democracy are in crisis,” Andrew said.”I’m running for Congress to restore balance and faith in our government and in the future by bringing principled, compassionate, and mission-driven leadership to Illinois’ 9th District. Having grown up and raised my children here, I have deep roots in this community.”
Andrew’s campaign focuses on economic security, public safety, and immigration oversight. He supports policies that create sustainable job growth, expand healthcare access, and strengthen accountability in immigration enforcement, including ICE reform.
“I believe in a fair economy where everyone has the opportunity to earn, grow, and contribute,” Andrew said. “I’ll fight for smart policies and collaborative implementation that create sustainable economic growth and good jobs, support small businesses, innovation, climate resilience, healthcare coverage, and reflect the real cost of living, and educate and support families in our district… I will pursue aggressive congressional oversight of immigration operations: demand hearings to examine policies allowing warrant-less home invasions, review training standards, and strengthen accountability mechanisms.”
Furthermore, Andrew plans to create a youth advisory board in Congress and advocate for public service opportunities that allow students and younger generations to contribute to their communities.
“As a Congressman, I will continue to engage students and youth on the issues they care about,” Andrew said. “I will create a youth advisory board to share their concerns and listen to their priorities. It is important to honor the diversity of the 9th Congressional District, which enriches life for all members of our community.”
Fine is an Illinois State Senator representing the 9th District who has focused on healthcare, mental health, consumer protection, and environmental issues. Before becoming a legislator, she worked as a journalist, university instructor, and local township clerk.
Over 13 years in the General Assembly, Fine has taken on major interests, including the insurance lobby and corporate polluter, and worked to protect healthcare access, consumer protections, and economic security for families. Her agenda also includes reproductive rights, affordable housing, public safety, and environmental protections.
Fine has worked on legislation to strengthen protections for children and families, expand access to mental health series and support workers and unions. She emphasizes civil rights and voting protections, and confronting discrimination while supporting reforms to immigration enforcement that consist of fairness and keeping families together.
Full Disclosure: All candidates featured in this story were contacted for comment by North Star News. Laura Fine did not respond, therefore her quotes are not included.
Biss, raised in Bloomington, Indiana, currently serves as the mayor of Evanston and previously represented his community in the Illinois House and Senate. Before entering public office, he was a mathematics professor at the University of Chicago.
As a legislator and mayor, Biss’s legislative record includes protections for LGBTQ+ youth, expanded access to retirement savings, advancing abortion rights, acting against ICE, and strengthening technology privacy laws.
“We need someone with two qualities,” Biss said. “Someone who knows how to fight when inside the government and someone who knows how to fight and win on the streets as an activist. We need both…I would say I am both. I’ve shown the ability to do both as mayor, passing the strongest climber protections of any municipality in the Midwest, as a state legislator, pass in path breaking, reproductive rights, legislation, and LGBTQ protections.”
Biss plans to fight for economic growth that uplifts all Americans, reform the tax system, expand healthcare access, and continue pushing for climate and social justice policies. He’s been a consistent advocate for abolishing ICE since 2018, emphasizing accountability and humane enforcement of immigration laws.
“I came up for abolishing ICE in 2018,” Biss said.”It wasn’t as bad as it is now, but it was bad enough, and I saw what was possible, and I said, ‘Listen, this organization should not exist, and I’ve been consistent on this…’ But what I think we need to do is put people in place who are consistent, who are strong, who are aggressive, and who are willing to take real risk and push the envelope to do what’s right and fight back against these guys, and that’s what I’ve shown.”
Biss’s campaign accompanies his experience as mayor, focusing on policies that address everyday concerns like healthcare, housing, and economic opportunities to serve residents across different backgrounds within the district.
Huynh, a state representative for Illinois 13th District, was born to a Vietnamese refugee family and raised in Chicago. Huynh made history as the first Vietnamese American and first refugee elected to the Illinois legislature. He has worked on expanding economic opportunities, affordable housing, public safety, gun violence prevention, and mental health services.
Before elected office, Huynh worked in community investment, social innovation, and economic development, directing resources into local neighborhoods and helping coordinate emergency support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His campaign emphasizes lowering the cost of living for working and middle-class families, including reducing housing, healthcare, utilities, and advocating for border and human rights protections. He highlights the diversity of the district and the need for leadership that reflects its communities.
Full Disclosure: All candidates featured in this story were contacted for comment by North Star News. Hoan Huynh did not respond, therefore his quotes are not included.
Simmons, a Chicago native, is the first openly LGBTQ+ and Ethiopian-American Illinois State Senator. Before the Senate, he worked on youth and equity programs at the Obama Foundation and ran a public policy firm. In office, he passed laws on healthcare, civil rights, and tax relief.
If elected to Congress, Simmons plans to address the cost of living by expanding affordable housing, lowering healthcare costs, and eliminating medical and student debt. Simmons also plans to continue fighting for small business recourse, fair wages, and protections for vulnerable communities, building on legislation he has passed in the Illinois Senate.
“The cost of living is my top issue because it is the most pressing thing for so many voters, from Crystal Lake to Uptown,” Simmons said. “I‘ve championed historic economic relief measures at the state level, like raising the minimum wage and providing universal child care for low-income households.”
Simmons also emphasizes young people and historically informed communities having policies that allow pre-registration for 16-17 year olds, support turning Election Day into a Holiday and create People’s Legislative Councils that continues direct voice in passing legislation.
“Young people have consistently been on the right side of history’s biggest questions, and the way our campaign finance and election systems are stacked against them is a total disservice,” Simmons said. “I’ve put together 9 different People’s Legislative Councils that center the voices of historically ignored communities, including young people, survivors of gun violence, single mothers, and others. I regularly meet with them not just to hear their issues, but to empower them to help shape policy.”
With the wide-open 2026 race for Illinois 9th Congressional District, voters have a historic opportunity to shape the future of the district. Early voting begins March 2 at permanent polling locations and continues through March 15, leading up to Election Day on March 17.
