* Add one more to the 9th Congressional District’s growing roster. The Daily Northwestern…
After three different careers in public education, the U.S. Department of Justice and Microsoft, Evanston resident Nick Pyati launched his bid for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District on Wednesday morning, marking him as the latest candidate in a rapidly-expanding primary of more than a dozen Democrats.
The 42-year-old launched his campaign with a YouTube video just over a minute long, in which he called for a “stronger, fairer and freer America,” and said he is “done waiting” for establishment Democrats to “create a plan to win” in the wake of President Donald Trump’s second presidential victory in November 2024.
Pyati’s campaign launch and his filing with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday night follow campaign announcements from State Sen. Mike Simmons (7th District) and former FBI agent Phil Andrew last week. […]
Though Pyati said the top concern for Democrats in the district is to “end the Trump era,” he added that he hopes to support progressive initiatives like expanding health care and an energy transition through economic innovation and growth — a topic he says has “totally fallen off the radar” for the party.
In an early weigh-in for those running to represent Evanston and other Illinois communities in Congress, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss recorded the highest fundraising figures among Democratic candidates while falling just shy of having the most cash on hand to outside challenger Kat Abughazaleh. […]
Evanston’s mayor broke away in fundraising this quarter, recording just shy of $703,000 in contributions over the 47 days after he announced his bid on May 15. In a preliminary news release sent July 7, Biss wrote that the “outpouring of grassroots support we’ve seen so far has been truly humbling.”
Out of the $672,539.95 Biss received from itemized contributions, $196,000 came from donors who maxed out at $7,000 across one or more donations, the combined individual limit for a single election cycle between the primary and general.
Evanston residents pitched in $264,505, and another $346,014.95 came from donors elsewhere in Illinois. Several large-dollar supporters carried over from the mayor’s reelection campaign, during which he spent nearly three times as much as challenger Jeff Boarini in the final three months before Election Day on April 1.
As for spending, Biss recorded $57,500.58 in expenses, concentrated in salaries for campaign staff and processing fees for donations received through fundraising platform ActBlue. The low spending leaves him with about $645,474.41 on-hand entering the back half of 2025 — just shy of the race’s continuing leader.
* Kat Abughazaleh raised nearly $526,000 in the second quarter. But she’s lagging behind Biss in in-state support…
Despite being one of the first candidates to announce her bid for Congress in early May, just one day after Schakowsky’s retirement announcement, State Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview appears to have gotten a slower start to fundraising than her top competitors.
Records show the 58-year-old state senator raised about $262,000 in the two months since announcing, far less than Abughazaleh and Biss in the same period, including $14,000 of which came from her and her husband, Michael Fine.
Fine’s slow fundraising start leaves her with about $237,000 in cash, a full $100,000 less than what remains in her own campaign account for state senate. […]
Bushra Amiwala, the Skokie School District 73.5 board member, raised just under $200,000, records show, placing her not far behind Fine in early fundraising.
* Biss also picked up an endorsement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Tribune…
Evanston Mayor and former state legislator Daniel Biss’ progressive credentials got a boost Wednesday with an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in Illinois’ increasingly crowded 9th Congressional District Democratic primary race.
Warren, a three-term senator from Massachusetts and briefly a front-runner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, announced she was backing Biss in a statement shared with the Tribune in which she praised the two-term mayor as “a relentless fighter for working people who can help deliver the structural change our country needs right now.” […]
Biss, who campaigned for Warren in Iowa ahead of the 2020 caucuses alongside Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs and then-Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, in a statement called her “an inspiration to me and so many others as one of the most effective, boldest progressive leaders in our nation.” He said he was “honored to have her backing in this race.” […]
Biss, who just won a second term as mayor in Evanston in April, also has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Sean Casten of Downers Grove and several current and former state lawmakers, including Rep. Kelly Cassidy of Chicago and Rep. Marty Beth Canty and Sen. Mark Walker, both of Arlington Heights, all of whom represent portions of the 9th District.
* Moving on to the 2nd Congressional District. Sun-Times…
Former Illinois U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is exploring a comeback bid to congress in his old south suburban district, as U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly sets her sights on outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.
The Friends of Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress 2026 Exploratory Committee filed a statement of organization on Sunday with the Federal Election Commission. Jackson’s bid is another product of a game of political musical chairs that was put in motion when Durbin in April announced he wouldn’t seek reelection.
“As part of the Jesse Jackson Jr. for Congress 2026 Exploratory effort, it is my intention to secure a place on the ballot by authorizing the circulation and collection of 10,000 signatures for nominating petitions, commencing on August 5th, and to register 5,000 new voters in the Second Congressional District,” Jackson said in a statement. […]
Six Democrats are already vying for the 2nd Congressional District, including State Sen. Robert Peters, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Yumeka Brown, businessman Eric France, policy strategist Adal Regis and youth pastor and advocate Jeremy Young. The district stretches from the South Side to the south suburbs and also extends south into portions of central Illinois.
* A quick look at fundraising in the race for Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, via the Pantagraph’s Brenden Moore…
* Juliana Stratton’s US Senate campaign announced more endorsements this morning…
26 State Representatives from across Illinois are endorsing Juliana Stratton for United States Senate. Following endorsements earlier this week by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and 10 State Senators from across Illinois, these representatives join a growing coalition of Illinoisans who know Juliana’s voice is needed in Washington. […]
The full list of State Representatives endorsing Juliana is below:
Speaker Pro Tempore Kam Buckner, State Representative, 26th District
Representative Mary Beth Canty, State Representative, 54th District
Representative Kelly M. Cassidy, State Representative, 14th District
Representative Terra Costa Howard, State Representative, 42nd District
Representative Michael Crawford, State Representative, 31st District
Representative Margaret Croke, State Representative, 12th District
Representative Daniel Didech, State Representative, 59th District
Representative Kimberly du Buclet, State Representative, 5th District
Assistant Majority Leader Marcus C. Evans, Jr., State Representative, 33rd District
Majority Leader Robyn Gabel, State Representative, 18th District
Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, State Representative, 17th District
Representative Nicolle Grasse, State Representative, 53rd District
Representative Sonya M. Harper, State Representative, 6th District
Representative Barbara Hernandez, State Representative, 50th District
Representative Norma Hernandez, State Representative, 77th District
Representative Tracy Katz Muhl, State Representative, 57th District
Assistant Majority Leader Camille Y. Lilly, State Representative, 78th District
Representative Joyce Mason, State Representative, 61st District
Representative Rita Mayfield, State Representative, 60th District
Representative Anna Moeller, State Representative, 43rd District
Assistant Majority Leader Bob Morgan, State Representative, 58th District
Representative Yolonda Morris, State Representative, 9th District
Representative Justin Slaughter, State Representative, 27th District
Majority Officer and Sergeant at Arms Nicholas K. Smith, State Representative, 34th District
Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, State Representative, 7th District
Assistant Majority Leader Maurice A. West, II, State Representative, 67th District
…Adding… From the Junaid Ahmed campaign…
With the filing deadline now passed, I wanted to update you on Junaid Ahmed’s status in the race for the Democratic nomination for the 8th Congressional District.
In less than a month, Junaid raised nearly $350,000.
Junaid’s campaign is people-powered, with donations coming from the community, not corporate PACs or self-funding.
He’s raised the most money from individual donors this quarter.
Just to recap:
Junaid has already secured the endorsement of progressive powerhouse Congressman Ro Khanna.
He enters the race with considerable name ID thanks to his previous run against a well-funded incumbent, where he secured 30% of the vote.
Had the highest individual donor fundraising this quarter.
* More…
* Evanston Now | Former prosecutor joins congressional race: Pyati called his now-opponents “great progressives” with “very inspiring life stories,” but said he didn’t “see the leadership we need … to actually get us out of this era [of Trump].”
* Evanston Roundtable | Evanstonian Nick Pyati jumps in race to succeed Schakowsky: “Since November, I’ve been extremely disappointed and dismayed by what’s happening in the country as the Trump administration blazes a path through all of our democratic norms and basic freedoms,” Pyati said in an interview with the RoundTable. “I’ve been disappointed in the Democratic Party’s inability to find a vision or a plan forward for ending this mess.”
As I said a few weeks ago, the Laura Fine campaign is unserious. Barely cracking 200k in your first quarter, in the year of our lord 2025 is not anywhere close to good enough. Biss raised 350k+ in 24 hours!
== As I said a few weeks ago, the Laura Fine campaign is unserious.==
No one should believe for a second Biss actually raised that amount in 24 hours. I would bet money it is all pledges from people that he had them hold until he announced. While Fine has some catching up to do, this race is far from over and is a very serious contender.
Why is it strange that a postal carrier across the country would donate to someone with a national following? Kat Abu is pretty well known in lefty circles. I’d expect that she’d draw from her national audience just like a movie star or CEO would.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Jul 16, 25 @ 9:47 am:
Danny Davis needs to make his decision soon…
- Banish Misfortune - Wednesday, Jul 16, 25 @ 9:54 am:
FYI, I live in the 9th and I want you to know I am definitely not running. Since everyone else is.
- benniefly2 - Wednesday, Jul 16, 25 @ 10:16 am:
A self-identified USPS mail carrier from suburban Seattle donating $2000 into an Illinois congressional race is certainly interesting.
- Endated - Wednesday, Jul 16, 25 @ 12:23 pm:
As I said a few weeks ago, the Laura Fine campaign is unserious. Barely cracking 200k in your first quarter, in the year of our lord 2025 is not anywhere close to good enough. Biss raised 350k+ in 24 hours!
- 9th Enthusiast - Wednesday, Jul 16, 25 @ 12:52 pm:
== As I said a few weeks ago, the Laura Fine campaign is unserious.==
No one should believe for a second Biss actually raised that amount in 24 hours. I would bet money it is all pledges from people that he had them hold until he announced. While Fine has some catching up to do, this race is far from over and is a very serious contender.
- granville - Thursday, Jul 17, 25 @ 4:05 am:
Why is it strange that a postal carrier across the country would donate to someone with a national following? Kat Abu is pretty well known in lefty circles. I’d expect that she’d draw from her national audience just like a movie star or CEO would.