* Evanston Now…

A new poll released Wednesday by Kat Abughazaleh’s campaign shows her and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss as clear front-runners in the campaign to replace Rep. Jan Schakowsky in Congress next year.

The poll, conducted by MDW Communications and commissioned by Abughazaleh’s campaign, shows Biss leading the way with 18% of support, while nearly half of voters remain undecided. […]

Name recognition data shared by her campaign with Evanston Now shows Abughazaleh has become far more known in the district, jumping from 36% in June to 46% in October. […]

State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago), who had yet to announce his campaign when the previous poll was conducted but still polled fourth, remains in fourth, the latest poll shows, with 4%.

Trailing Simmons is State Rep. Hoan Huynh, Bushra Amiwala and Phil Andrew, all above 2%, with no other candidate above 1% support, the poll shows.

* From the polling memo…

A recent survey of 917 likely Democratic primary voters in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District shows journalist Kat Abughazaleh trailing Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss by a slim 5-point margin, just outside the margin of error. The race remains wide open, with only Biss and Abughazaleh earning double digit support. State Senator Laura Fine trails in third with 9% of the vote. With no other candidate earning more than 4% of the vote, the data shows a clear 3-way race for the nomination.

Since MDW last polled the race in June, Biss and Fine’s growth has been statistically insignificant, with each gaining just 1 percentage point. By contrast, Abughazaleh now sits solidly in second place with 13%, a 3 point increase since June and just outside the margin of error behind Biss. While Biss and Fine continue to see a base of support due to their name ID, Abughazaleh is the only candidate whose support is growing. With more than half of voters now decided and just over four months until election day, Abughazaleh is the only candidate trending in the right direction.

The poll, conducted via text message by MDW Communications from October 14-16 with a margin of error of +/- 3.4%, included responses from 917 likely Democratic primary voters in IL-09. The results were weighted by age, gender, and race to reflect likely turnout in the March 2026 primary election

Cross-tabs for the poll have not been released.

* Evanston Roundtable covered the most recent 9th CD forum held by Citizens Action Illinois…

Though the forum was free of direct call-outs or rebuttals, a few candidates appeared to take indirect shots at one of the race’s leading candidates, researcher and former journalist Kat Abughazaleh.

During opening statements alone, former federal prosecutor Nick Pyati said social media algorithms that “reward the loudest voices that get the most attention, even if they’re not saying much” are part of why the Democratic Party has suffered recent defeats. Bruce Leon, the Democratic committeeman for Chicago’s 50th Ward, said Congress won’t be fixed by “yelling on our TikTok.” […]

For her part, Abughazaleh said during her introduction that “actions speak louder than words,” plugging that her campaign office in Rogers Park “doubles as a mutual aid hub.” She told reporters after the forum that between those activities and others, like her visits to protests outside the ICE holding facility in Broadview, “we want to hold ourselves to a higher standard.” […]

Fine cited several bills she’s sponsored in the state legislature in recent years, including health insurance reforms and getting the Workers Rights Amendment onto the ballot in 2022. More recently, she filed a bill during the legislature’s ongoing veto session that would strengthen state laws around federal immigration enforcement actions at schools, hospitals and elsewhere. […]

Evanston’s mayor, himself a former state legislator, kept his record touts closer to home. Biss named his support the Margarita Inn homeless shelter, designating city-owned properties as ICE-free zones and passing the Healthy Buildings Ordinance as examples of his progressive actions while leading the city.

* Junaid Ahmed picked up an endorsement from progressive US Rep. Delia Ramirez…

Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03) today announced her endorsement of Democrat Junaid Ahmed for Congress in Illinois’ 8th congressional district, praising Ahmed as a progressive champion and a fighter for working families.

“I’m so proud to endorse my friend Junaid Ahmed in his run for Congress,” said Congresswoman Delia Ramirez. “I’m with Junaid because he is a fighter who stands up for his values and shows up for his community. With everything at stake, we need to elect a progressive champion like Junaid in the 8th. He’ll stand up to Donald Trump’s attacks on our immigrant communities, fight for universal healthcare, and make life more affordable for working families. I’m so proud to be with Junaid in this fight.”

“I’m deeply honored to have Congresswoman Ramirez’s support,” said Junaid Ahmed. “Delia leads with courage and conviction in everything she does. In Congress, I’ll bring that same urgency to make life more affordable, make health care universal, and protect our immigrant communities. Together, we’ll build the diverse coalition we need to deliver real results for every community in the 8th district.”

* Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison announced former Rep. Joe Walsh has endorsed him for the 8th CD…

Today, former Rep. Joe Walsh endorsed Cook County Commissioner and Democrat Kevin Morrison in the race for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. Walsh, who represented the district from 2011-2013 after beating former Rep. Melissa Bean, joins five sitting members of Congress and more than 160 local and national leaders in supporting Kevin Morrison’s surging campaign.

“Kevin Morrison is the only candidate in this race who we can trust to always stand up to Donald Trump,” said former Rep. Joe Walsh. “While Kevin is exactly the kind of fresh face the Democratic Party desperately needs at this moment, his main opponent, former Rep. Melissa Bean – the Blue Dog Democrat I beat 15 years ago – has been completely silent for the last decade while Donald Trump has ripped our constitution to shreds. I’m proud to endorse the only candidate who can beat Melissa Bean and will fight like hell to take our country back – and that’s Kevin Morrison.”

“I thank former Rep. Joe Walsh for his endorsement,” said Kevin Morrison. “While we might not agree on everything, he and I are united in our shared belief that Donald Trump and his fascist, authoritarian regime’s attempts to destroy democracy and the rule of law requires all of us to stand up and fight back like never before. That’s what I’ve done as a Cook County Commissioner – and that’s what I’ll do in Congress.”

* Raja Krishnamoorthi…

Republicans shut down the government to mess with people's healthcare. Now, their shutdown is threatening people's ability to put dinner on the table. It's time for Republicans to work with Democrats to open the government and save healthcare. https://t.co/JjxLI7J9cD

— Raja Krishnamoorthi (@RajaForIL) October 21, 2025

* Republican Senate Candidate Don Tracy…

U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy’s campaign is responding to recent remarks by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, who claimed on X that Republicans shut down the government to “mess with people’s healthcare.”

Krishnamoorthi’s statement continues a pattern of misleading and hyperbolic nonsense. In a CNN interview, Krishnamoorthi inferred that because Republicans “control all branches of government,” they could end the shutdown on a partisan vote. The truth is a majority in the U.S. House (mainly Republicans) already passed a resolution to open the government without any change in current spending levels, which Senate Republicans have voted in favor of 11 times. The problem is that more than 40 Senate Democrats are filibustering that open government resolution, as Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer, and others have confirmed, making the requirement 60 votes to pass (there are only 53 Senate Republicans). The Democrat Senators are filibustering current spending in the hope of blackmailing Republican Senators into agreeing to $1.5 Trillion more in federal government spending.

Don Tracy has again called on the Senate Democrats to end the government shutdown by ending their filibuster and voting to pass the open government resolution already passed by the US House of Representatives.

“Like so many of my friends and neighbors, I’m tired of disingenuous politicians who twist the truth to serve their agenda. I’m running for the US Senate to represent Midwestern values and common sense in DC,” said Tracy. “I call on the Democrat Senators to immediately end their filibuster and reopen the government before more American family lives are disrupted by their political gamesmanship. ”

* More…

* WQAD | US Rep. Krishnamoorthi visits Illinois farm as soybean exports to China plummet: U.S. Representative and Senate candidate Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, visited a soybean and corn farm in Taylor Ridge this week, as farmers across the state face mounting economic pressure, especially in the soybean industry. Last year, Illinois exported $1.4 billion worth of soybeans to China. This year, that number has dropped to zero, largely due to rising prices and ongoing trade tensions.