Rep. Ro Khanna backs Gen Z progressive Kat Abughazaleh in Illinois congressional race

CBS News

5 days ago

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California endorsed progressive congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh Monday, calling the 26-year-old influencer "the absolute best that the Democratic party has to offer."
"I'm thrilled to endorse Kat Abughazaleh," Khanna said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Kat when she's elected, so that together we can defeat Donald Trump's inhumane agenda and focus on the most pressing issues facing working people."
The Gen Z newcomer is one of several Democratic contenders running for Illinois' 9th Congressional District to replace retiring incumbent Rep. Jan Schakowsky. The district spans Chicago's northwest suburbs, including the city of Evanston.
"I'm incredibly grateful to Congressman Khanna for his support, and I look forward to serving with him in Congress to deliver results for working people," Abughazaleh said. "Like Ro, I do not accept any corporate PAC money. I'm fighting for the working class, and that means not being controlled by any special interests."
The endorsement comes after the pair appealed to young voters in separate appearances last week at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Washington, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
Khanna, who co-chaired Bernie Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, addressed the generational divide within the party, telling the audience that the "old guard" needs to go.
"I'm here to say that a new Democratic Party, a reborn Democratic Party, a populist Democratic Party, a multiracial Democratic Party, a Democratic Party that centers the working and middle class, a Democratic Party that looks like the future, is a Democratic Party that can lead us back to victory and lead us to a better America," Khanna said.
Abughazaleh, a former journalist and community advocate, has quickly amassed a war chest. Her campaign recently announced she has raised more than $1 million through grassroots support since her entry to the race in March.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss, who announced his bid for the seat in May, has raised more than $700,000 and picked up the endorsement of key progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts..
At least half a dozen candidates are vying for the congressional seat ahead of the March 2026 primary. Abughazaleh hopes to differentiate herself with a bold, policy-first platform aimed at lowering housing and healthcare costs and advancing the Green New Deal.
"My grandfather immigrated to the Chicago area in 1957, and my parents got engaged right here in 1987," Abughazaleh said. "Three generations later, I'm here, and I am committed to fighting to preserve the values that brought my grandfather here in the first place."