🔴 LIVE: Can Kat Abughazaleh WIN Illinois 9th? Results Now

🔴 LIVE ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE — March 17, 2026

The most watched congressional primary in Illinois in 26 years

is happening RIGHT NOW — and we are covering every vote live.

Illinois' 9th Congressional District is open for the first time

since 1998 — and 15 Democrats are fighting for Jan Schakowsky's

seat. But all eyes are on one candidate.

Kat Abughazaleh. Former journalist. Anti-ICE activist.

Indicted for protesting. Viral social media force.

And as of right now — surging.

📊 LIVE RESULTS — UPDATED AS THEY COME IN:

With 70% of votes counted:

✅ Daniel Biss — 30.3% (LEADING)

✅ Kat Abughazaleh — 24.4% (SURGING into 2nd)

✅ Laura Fine — 20.8% (FADING to 3rd)

She started the night in third. She's now in second.

And the night is far from over.

🔥 WHY THIS RACE MATTERS:

✅ First open seat election in Illinois' 9th District

since Jan Schakowsky was first elected in 1998 —

26 years without a competitive primary

✅ The race is testing AIPAC's influence in a

Chicago-area district with a significant

Jewish and Arab-American population

✅ Kat Abughazaleh has become known for turning

viral social media moments into political

currency — the question is whether that

translates into actual votes

✅ She was indicted in October 2025 on two charges

related to protests at an ICE facility near Chicago

— and ran TOWARD the controversy rather than away

✅ Chi cago voter turnout reached just 19% by afternoon

— the second lowest on record for a midterm primary

— meaning the energized progressive base

could be decisive

✅ The race has been called "an almost unpredictable

cattle call" — with millions in campaign cash,

immigration raids, Middle East politics and

social media all colliding in one district

🎯 WHO IS KAT ABUGHAZALEH?

— Former researcher and video producer at Media Matters

— Palestinian-American progressive running hard left

— Indicted for anti-ICE protest — called it a badge of honor

— Outspent by Biss and Fine on TV a

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