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Heiress claims to be poor
Thursday, Mar 12, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller * Background is here if you need it. Kat Abughazaleh on a recent podcast…
Somebody who grew up in wealth, initially lived rent-free in somebody else’s sweet lakefront condo, then moved to the district after announcing her campaign, has zero self-awareness and even less of a clue by claiming she’s “poor.” Period. To be clear, I don’t begrudge people who were raised in money. You don’t pick your parents. But as a person who grew up in a family which had zero money and then scratched its own way to security, I find her claim repulsive.
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- Responsa - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:12 am:
Gee. Its starting to look like one can’t believe anything politicians say.
- Alton Sinkhole - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:13 am:
==But as a person who grew up in a family which had zero money and then scratched its own way to security, I find her claim repulsive.==
Perfectly stated. I think this is why I find her candidacy so infuriating.
- Center Drift - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:13 am:
And politicians wonder why people don’t trust them.
- Pundent - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:19 am:
I’m surprised that more hasn’t been made of her backstory. I mean it’s not every day that “poor” people like Kat find their way to Lakeview to run in another district and raise millions in the process. Her narrative and resume are so paper thin that no one should be taking her seriously. Yet here we are.
- Alton Sinkhole - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:29 am:
I think another thing that bothers me is that she does genuinely excite a younger type of voter, but it’s all based on her lies and this cosplay poor act.
- Banish Misfortune - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:29 am:
Abughazaleh’s presence in the race has affected the dynamic for sure. She gives off Kristen Sinema vibes, always posing and thinking of herself.
Some really nice candidates have emerged, like Mike Simmons, but it becomes risky to vote for him, if it would result in victory for her. So play it safe and vote for Biss.
She won’t win I believe but certainly affects the calculus.
All elections have those dynamics I know but it is regrettable.
- Responsa - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:40 am:
And, congratulations to the geniuses who created this snakelike monstrosity of a congressional district. The disparate counties and cities and communities and neighborhoods which comprise this district make it seem like one single person could never possibly represent the base-whatever that is.
- rnug - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:55 am:
Not the first politician to tailor their story. And probably won’t be the last.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:56 am:
If you claim to be living off of $650 a month on online pictures of your cat, spend your day talking in front of expensive video equipment, and are able to quickly move to a new residence to qualify to run in a district…yea, you’re not poor.
- Techie - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:58 am:
“she does genuinely excite a younger type of voter, but it’s all based on her lies and this cosplay poor act.”
Her coming from poverty is clearly not true.
But my guess is that her appeal is genuine - she showed up at an ICE facility and confronted the masked secret police about their lawless, heartless activity. She advocates for a more equitable society, and is a Palestinian American who has clearly opposed the genocide in Gaza and rejects AIPAC money. She has worked in journalism/media covering stories from a left perspective. She is not someone who has never had involvement in politics.
- Frida’s Boss - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 9:58 am:
One of the tough parts of the election Kat will pick up a large chunk of Northwestern voters. Folks who mostly didn’t grow up in the area and will not remain after college. 4 year transplants, in a tight race like this, could decide.
- Jerry - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:01 am:
A stable genius just said: “so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,”….wonder if he’s related to Cat.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:03 am:
===A large part of our base are renters that are poor, like myself.===
Heiress is probably the right word here. I am certain she feels like she is poor by comparison to the overall net worth of her family members.
Broke might be a better word — but using the word poor does fit so much better in to her being a literal manifestation of Common People by Pulp. I was not expecting her to double down on my reference, but here we are.
If she’s having problems, I’m sure she can call her dad.
===I find her claim repulsive. ===
Ditto. She’s lying about something that is completely unnecessary to lie about. She has access to and lives in the kind of luxury that most Americans will never, ever, experience.
- OBResident - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:04 am:
If she wins, it will prove how boring your average politician is. Bliss has the charisma of a mortician and, with a bit of zeal, would cruise to victory.
- Northsider - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:06 am:
Reason No. 10,191 to be glad I voted for Biss.
Also, grifters gonna grift. Too.
- Trinity - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:08 am:
If you never ate syrup sandwiches, I don’t want to hear it. Cosplaying that you are or were “poor” or the “working class” is an insult to those who struggle EVERY day to survive and to survive EVERY day. It scars your soul & messes with your head. It’s poetic those raising hundreds of thousands if not millions have to market themselves as a label instead of embodying the generosity, patience and grace you wished someone had shown to you.
With that said, I’m not a Kat fan AT ALL. I do appreciate the mutual aid efforts. We need more community support. The money is out there & people need real help. I hope that trend stays.
- Joseph M - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:09 am:
Re: Frida’s Boss
I’m not defending Kat’s statement, but I don’t think your comment is fair to college students.
Even if they move in four years, their opinion still matters. They will probably be replaced by another student that doesn’t get any input - think of it as current students voting for someone to represent future students. Let’s stop moaning about “transplants” exercising their constitutional rights.
- Cubs in '16 - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:12 am:
‘Poor’ is a relative term among the wealthy.
- estubborn - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:14 am:
== ..she showed up at an ICE facility and confronted the masked secret police about their lawless, heartless activity
She did this for clicks and to raise money on the backs of the oppressed. She accomplished nothing at these photo ops. I’d believe her “fights against ICE” claims if volunteered for a rapid response network or helped with migra watch patrol. Defending herself in court is not fighting for immigrant rights.
- JR - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:17 am:
If you read the book Bowling Alone (circa 2000), you’ll figure out why and how Kat Abughazaleh rose within this industry so quickly. If you don’t have time for the book, here are some of the take-aways 1.) Key drivers of this human disengagement in person include suburban sprawl, television/media/online consumption, increased time pressure (demanding jobs) and generational shifts. 2.) The erosion of these community bonds has resulted in less trust in government, neighbors and family who don’t agree with you politically, impacting the overall health of society. 3.) The metaphor of “bowling alone” represents this shift from shared, community-based activities to individualistic ones such as having an online, growing presence, as she has successfully done, which gives her a byline on Capitol Fax that she would have never had decades ago because she wouldn’t have been considered a formidable candidate.
- localgovhero - Thursday, Mar 12, 26 @ 10:20 am:
Interesting things on the FEC website - Using campaign funds to pay for her criminal case and several large bills from a Family law firm. Screams personal use to me