IL 9 D Primary: Biss Defeats Abughazaleh

[SSJVegeta]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/elections/results-illinois-us-house-9-primary.html

Daniel Biss. 35,642 +29.4%29.4%
Kat Abughazaleh. 31,705 +26.1%26.1

Results by county
County Margin Votes
Percent of votes in% In
Cook Biss +3 107,954 92%
McHenry Abughazaleh +5 8,459 95%
Lake Biss +8 4,941 95%

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/elections/results-illinois-us-house-9-primary.html
Honestly looking at those returns and how shes been closing in slowly all night and morning, I'm not entirely sure Biss won. He is only ahead by 3% and still 8% left to count in the largest county. If Cook County ends up just being completely even and she maintains or increases her count in the other counties; she wins.

Regardless all outlets have called it for him. Might be slightly premature 👀

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Will there be a runoff?

Hard to believe the people voted for this milktoast Biss.

[tritsofme]

2. There's a general election in November, where he'll be the Democratic nominee.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. Illinois deserves better.

[SSJVegeta]

4. They dont do primary runoffs in illinois unfotunately

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. Yes, thank you. I just watched her concession speech.

[SSJVegeta]

6. Im still in denial

[Prairie Gates]

7. Very easy to misread this one

Abughazaleh actually overperformed - in fact shockingly so. I think another two weeks and she would have won.

Biss had massive structural advantages here: he has been Mayor of Evanston. The district probably has the highest percentage of pro-Israel Orthodox Jews outside of Brooklyn. (Unfortunately for your analysis, they are almost all in Cook County).

A few weeks ago, she was considered a merely OK third-place finisher, with the real battle between Biss and Fine. The fact that she trounced Fine is probably something that all national Democratic consultants are looking at this morning and for the next several weeks.

I think Kat Abughazaleh's remarkable overperformance in IL-9 is the political story of the night, and maybe of the primary season.

[SSJVegeta]

8. I really thought she was gonna win

She had so much momentum

[leftstreet]

9. +1

The fact that she trounced Fine is probably something that all national Democratic consultants are looking at this morning and for the next several weeks.

No kidding

[dsc]

10. A 3% margin with 8% remaining

would be 55/25 or very close to 70/30 and that 8% was only of the largest county so the margin would have to be more extreme.