* Starting off in the 9th Congressional District, where Daniel Biss released a new poll yesterday. Press release…
New polling shows Daniel Biss continuing to lead the field in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District with a commanding 13-point lead over his two closest opponents. According to a new poll conducted by IMPACT Research, Biss currently holds 31% of the vote, with state Sen. Laura Fine and influencer Kat Abughazaleh trailing far behind at 18%. Biss’ lead has held steady despite the enormous amount of money spent on broadcast television ads by state Sen. Laura Fine and the AIPAC-backed “Elect Chicago Women” super PAC supporting her. Click here to read the polling memo.
Biss continues to be the most popular candidate in the field, with 59% of likely primary voters viewing him favorably and just 24% viewing him unfavorably. Meanwhile, Laura Fine stands at 46% favorable / 28% unfavorable and Kat Abughazaleh is viewed as 36% favorable / 31% unfavorable.
* The poll also tested AIPAC’s approval rating among likely Democratic primary voters in the 9th Congressional District. 49 percent unfavorable (35 percent very unfavorable) and just 11 percent favorable (4 percent very favorable). 40 percent couldn’t rate.…
The findings and recommendations in this memo are based on N=500 interviews of likely 2026 Democratic primary voters in IL CD-09, conducted via phone and text-to-web from February 5-10, 2026. The expected margin of sampling error is +/- 4.4% overall and is higher for subgroups.
* Meanwhile, the AIPAC-backed super PAC just spent another $600,000 on ad buys for Laura Fine…
ECW, which is backed by AIPAC and behind ads in favor of Melissa Bean, spent another $1.18 million on pro-Bean ads since Feb. 3
So that's over $2.34 million in 6 days spent on the two candidates in #IL08 and #IL09
(not including the super PAC, Affordable Chicago Now in #IL02)
* Evanston Now’s Matthew Eadie interviewed Fine yesterday and asked her about AIPAC’s involvement in the race…
Eadie: Are you aware that AIPAC is actively supporting your candidacy, even if they haven’t publicly endorsed you?
Fine: So my campaign does not coordinate with independent expenditures, so anything that happens outside of our campaign is just as much of a surprise to me. A great example, I was in Springfield about a week and a half ago, and somebody sent me a new ad. I’ve never seen it before. What that tells me is we need more transparency. We need to know where these dollars are coming from, who is supporting these ads.
Citizens United was a big disservice for our political system, and that’s something that needs to be overturned. Do I have a lot of Jewish donors who’ve donated to my campaign? Absolutely. Have some of these donors also donated to AIPAC most likely, but they’re supporting a Jewish woman who has stood up for what I believe is a Tikkun Olam, which is repairing the world and for a strong Israel/US relationship.
Eadie: The wasn’t really my question […] In the very beginning was there were fundraising emails calling out your opponents supporting you. And my question was, are you aware that these are being sent out?
Fine: I was not aware that those emails were being sent out. As a matter of fact, Matthew, I’ve learned a lot about what’s going on by reading what you write. So I thank you for that, because that’s given me some transparency. But I do have to say there was an email that went out in the beginning that was very upsetting to me, because I felt like it was very critical to my opponents, and I feel like in this day and age, we have so much political violence that I think words are very important and harsh. Words should not be used to describe somebody and what their stance are. And so, you know, when I saw I think it was you that brought this email to my attention, I called them up and I said, it’s just not acceptable, and that’s not who I am.
Eadie: You called AIPAC directly and spoke to them?
Fine: I did. I when you made that email aware to me, Listen, I am somebody who has been a victim of political violence. I’ve had the police sitting outside my house and overnight because of threats I’ve received. And so when I feel like anything is getting to a level of being threatening, it is just uncalled for and it shouldn’t be happening.
The AIPAC email Fine is referring to called Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh “dangerous detractors.”
Eadie: It’s now been a week. Have you figured out who’s behind those ads, and would you share publicly who’s supporting your campaign?
Fine: I don’t know who’s behind the ads, because, due to the way the law is structured, they have not had to disclose who’s funding them. That’s why I think transparency is so important. These donors new need to be disclosed. The public needs to know where this money is coming from and who is behind it, and I really think it’s up to them to release that information. The public needs to know. I want to know. I want to know who is donating to these PACs that are supporting my campaign.
* It’s been widely reported that the PAC supporting Fine is backed by AIPAC. The Biss campaign called today for Fine to denounce AIPAC support. Press release…
This week, Mother Jones published a new profile of Gov. JB Pritzker. In it, Gov. Pritzker was asked for his thoughts about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and a spokesperson said Gov. Pritzker “believes the organization has abandoned its bipartisan principles and become a pro-Trump organization.”
In a follow up question today in Capitol Fax, a Pritzker spokesperson said AIPAC is “heeding the words and direction of Jared Kushner and other Trump acolytes” and said congressional candidates should “speak for themselves” about AIPAC’s activities in the ongoing Illinois primaries. […]
Biss for Congress Campaign Manager George Lundgren issued the following statement:
“The question is simple: will Laura Fine continue to accept support from ‘pro-Trump’ AIPAC? Or will she finally come clean and denounce AIPAC and its big money super PAC currently flooding the airwaves on her behalf. Voters in the 9th Congressional District deserve a straight answer.”
* WGN’s Tahman Bradley on the 2nd Congressional District race…
A white Democrat running in a Chicago-area congressional district that’s had Black representation for a half century has leapt far ahead of the competition in fundraising after reaping huge sums from finance, real estate and law interests.
Developer Jason Friedman of River North has raised nearly three times more than his closest rival among 13 Democratic candidates in the March 17 primary, federal campaign disclosure records show. […]
Of the 687 individuals and organizations contributing to Friedman’s campaign by the start of 2026, at least 419, or 61% of them, have made their living in finance, real estate or law, according to a WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times review of his Federal Election Commission filings. They accounted for about $1.1 million of his $1.8 million in receipts.
Friedman also raised six-figure sums from restaurant and health care sectors, the review found. Nursing home and senior housing interests contributed another $128,000.
* US Senate Candidate Robin Kelly…
U.S. Senate candidate Robin Kelly sharply criticized Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton’s campaign pledge to reject corporate Political Action Committee (PAC) money, calling it a “hypocritical, hollow promise designed to mislead voters.” This, as multiple news reports show Stratton’s three affiliated Senate super PACs relied on funding from billionaire donors and corporate interests - including a for-profit prison company.
Kelly’s criticism centers on the disconnect between Stratton’s public stance and her funding reality, where Stratton’s campaign has seen a recent fundraising boost from billionaire donors, and backing from companies like CoreCivic that are engaged in ICE contracting and the private prison industry.
In a recent debate, Kelly challenged Stratton to disavow Super PAC funding. Stratton declined to do so.
“Juliana Stratton should spare us the lectures on corporate PAC money when she rakes in millions of corporate dollars through her multiple Super PACs,” Kelly said. “Juliana’s words don’t match her funding. While she talks about opposing corporate PACs, her Super PACs are fueled by billionaire money, ICE contractors, and private prison profiteers.”
Kelly supports campaign finance reform and true grassroots representation, including public financing for political campaigns. Kelly emphasized that her own fundraising is built on a foundation of small-dollar donations and a broad base of support, ensuring her accountability remains with the voters and not wealthy donors.
“Check the record,” Kelly said. “I work for my constituents. The people of Illinois deserve transparency and real accountability, not smoke and mirrors. These types of financial games keep good people from running for office, good people from winning and good people from staying in office.”
If the Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has been the main event in Illinois politics over the past year, the Republican contest has largely played the undercard.
During an hourlong debate hosted by ABC-7 Chicago in partnership with Univision and the League of Women Voters on Wednesday evening, three candidates in the six-person field pitched themselves as best equipped to flip the seat red after more than four decades in Democratic hands.
The candidates — information technology professional Casey Chlebek, corporate attorney Jeannie Evans and former Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy — stopped short of criticizing President Donald Trump directly but registered their disagreement with his call to “nationalize” voting and to his approach to tariffs. […]
Evans said tariffs imposed by Trump “achieved some good results” but acknowledged that she’s “a free market economist” who believes they should only be used in “specific situations or to achieve certain goals” in the short term.
Tracy said that the U.S. has “been subsidizing the world, including China and Europe, for way too long,” but that “the jury’s still out” on if Trump’s tariff regime will achieve its policy aims of more equitable trade deals and the onshoring of manufacturing jobs.
Chlebek said tariffs are “a tool” that shouldn’t be used “in an arbitrary fashion.” […]
Evans and Tracy each said they would not support a national abortion ban and leave that decision to individual states. Chlebek did not answer the question. All support the U.S. staying in the UN and NATO.
Tracy said he supported Trump’s pardons of people convicted of crimes connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 Electoral College victory and resulted injuries to more than 100 police officers and extensive physical damage to the building. Evans sidestepped the question, saying “it’s 2026, I’m moving forward.” Chlebek said he did not support the pardons.
— In IL-09: Democrat Kat Abughazaleh has been endorsed by the Justice Democrats and the new human rights-centered PAC, Peace, Leadership and Accountability PAC.
— In IL-09: Democrat Bushra Amiwala has been endorsed by the Indian American Impact Fund and other community leaders. The full list is here.
— In IL-08: Democrat Kevin Morrison has been endorsed by Indivisible Elk Grove Township in his bid for the 8th Congressional District.
* More…
* Press release | Senator Tammy Duckworth Endorses Daniel Biss for Congress in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District: “We need fighters in Washington who will push back against Donald Trump and his harmful agenda, and that’s just what Daniel Biss will do,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. “Whether it was facing down Greg Bovino in the street, working to lower housing costs in Evanston or championing abortion protections in the statehouse, Daniel has consistently shown the courage and conviction to fight for our values and deliver real results. I’m proud to support Daniel Biss and encourage Democrats across the 9th District to join me.”
* Press release | Sierra Club endorses Daniel Biss for congress: “Daniel Biss has been fighting for our environment for over fifteen years in local and state government, taking on powerful special interests to advance bold solutions to the climate crisis,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “With Donald Trump actively dismantling environmental protections and blocking clean energy projects, Daniel Biss is the fighter for our future we need now more than ever.”
* Press release | U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren Endorses Junaid Ahmed for Congress in Illinois’ 8th District: U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren announced her endorsement of Progressive Congressional candidate Junaid Ahmed today, marking a major show of national progressive support for his campaign to represent Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. “Junaid Ahmed is exactly the kind of progressive fighter we need in Congress right now,” said Senator Warren. “He understands that the economy should work for working families and not just those at the top, and he’s willing to take on the wealthy and the powerful to make that a reality. Junaid is committed to lowering costs, expanding healthcare, and standing up to Donald Trump. I’m proud to support his campaign.”
* Bloomberg | AI Kingpins Adopt Crypto’s Playbook in Bid to Get Allies Elected to Congress: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman are among tech leaders who’ve poured $50 million into a new super political action committee to help AI-friendly candidates prevail in November’s congressional races. Known as Leading the Future, the super PAC has taken center stage as voters grow increasingly concerned that AI risks driving up energy costs and taking away jobs. […] Leading the Future’s Democratic arm also plans to spend seven figures to support Democrats in two Illinois congressional races: former Illinois Representatives Jesse Jackson Jr. and Melissa Bean.
* The Triibe | Illinois’ 7th Congressional District race is one you need to pay attention to: On Jan. 27, Terry moderated the Westside NAACP’s candidate’s forum at The Collins Academy High School. Democratic candidates Friedman, Ehrlich and Collins did not attend. Collins had a prior engagement. Friedman’s team asked for follow-up details in early January about the forum, according to Terry, but she said she didn’t hear from them again after following up. Ehrlich couldn’t be reached.
* Daily Herald | GOP candidate wins appeal and slot on 11th Congressional District ballots: An Illinois appellate court on Friday reversed lower decisions and ordered Republican congressional candidate Tedora M. Brown’s name to be added to 11th District ballots. The order from the three-member 1st District appellate court ordered Brown’s name “be placed on the ballot immediately.” It also ordered the Illinois State Board of Elections to “take all steps necessary” to enforce the order.
* CBS Chicago | 2026 U.S. Senate candidate profile: Illinois Congresswoman Robin Kelly: If elected, Kelly would have to work with Chicago’s City Hall for the next six years. Can Mayor Brandon Johnson count on her support if he runs for a second term in 2027? “Right now, I would say I’ll be neutral. I think he’s, as I’ve said before, I think he did a good job with ICE. I think he did, when we had the DNC here and Chicago was on display, you know, he did a really good job. I think he is a caring person. He’s in a tough, tough, tough seat,” she said.
* HuffPost | The Money Line Dividing The Democratic Party: A similar fight has played out in Illinois where Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has highlighted her refusal to take corporate PAC money in contrast to Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a relative moderate and the front-runner in the race. In turn, Krishnamoorthi has criticized Stratton for benefiting from donations from both the DLGA and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire who has endorsed her and spent millions on super PAC ads supporting her.
* Sun-Times | Underdog U.S. Senate candidates call for new voices in Washington at UChicago debate: The lesser-known candidates mostly recognized the long-shot chance at winning the primary election, with the exception of the lone Republican candidate in attendance who will likely face one other contender in that primary. Instead, they largely shared their campaign priorities and laid bare the reasoning why they were relegated to a separate debate. “I think it’s telling that there are multiple aspects of our democratic process that are broken because… we only look to money as the only metric of viability. This debate is a great example,” said Democratic primary challenger Kevin Ryan, a Chicago Public Schools teacher and U.S. Marine veteran.
* Daily Herald | Many — but not all — 9th Congressional District Democratic candidates say abolish ICE: The Vietnam-born Huynh recounted being stopped by armed and masked federal agents while following agents in Chicago last fall. But he doesn’t support abolishing the agency. Instead, Huynh said ICE agents need to be held accountable for their actions. He also voiced support for unspecified reforms.
* Tribune | Illinois Republicans weigh fealty to Trump as president’s agenda faces backlash and shutdown threat: The day after Border Patrol agents shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria called for a “comprehensive and transparent investigation” into the death. LaHood, a former prosecutor, said the investigation should involve federal, state and local law enforcement. He issued a similar statement after an ICE agent shot Renee Good in her car in early January. […] In an interview with the Tribune, LaHood said his concern was less about who did the investigations and more about how they were done. […] But LaHood said he didn’t think federal agents automatically had immunity from state and local prosecution.
* WGLT | LaHood sticks with president despite concerns about tariffs: U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood stayed loyal to President Trump in Wednesday’s largely symbolic House vote over tariffs, despite LaHood’s concerns about the protectionist trade measures. The Peoria area Republican voted against ending a national emergency declared by Trump that allowed the administration to impose tariffs on Canada. In a recent WGLT interview, LaHood said the issue of tariffs was among his top priorities this year.
One person’s push poll is another person’s research. If this was designed to spread bad news about Fine, calling/texting 500 people ain’t the way to do it.
Also, I’m kinda surprised that we have AIPAC poll numbers and people are missing it. Maybe we shoulda put it at the top.
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Friday, Feb 13, 26 @ 12:59 pm:
I live in IL-09 and received Biss’ poll. It was a push poll. The entire thing focused on testing negative messages about Fine.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Feb 13, 26 @ 2:05 pm:
===It was a push poll===
One person’s push poll is another person’s research. If this was designed to spread bad news about Fine, calling/texting 500 people ain’t the way to do it.
Also, I’m kinda surprised that we have AIPAC poll numbers and people are missing it. Maybe we shoulda put it at the top.