Biss Defeats Abughazaleh, AIPAC Splits Ticket in Illinois Dem Primaries

Illinois' primary elections wrapped up on Tuesday evening, with four Democratic House seats in the spotlight. Super PACs aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) reportedly spent over one-fifth of their $100 million reserve on the races, supporting two of the four victorious candidates. 

Biss Wins 9th District: Mayor Daniel Biss beat Kat Abughazaleh in the 9th District and will replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. He said of his victory, "AIPAC found out the hard way — the 9th District is not for sale." Biss will continue the Jewish-Democratic leadership in what is "widely considered the most Jewish congressional district in the state of Illinois," as noted by Daily Caller (Right bias). While Schakowsky supported Biss' win, AIPAC opposed due to his criticism of the Israeli government and simultaneous support for a Palestinian state and ongoing US-Israeli relations. AIPAC affiliates instead supported Jewish state Sen. Laura Fine, along with a lower-ranking progressive candidate who had potential to pull votes from Abughazaleh. Abughazaleh, a Palestinian-American influencer who used to work for Media Matters (Left), called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide" and supported aid revocation from the US.

Bean Wins 8th District: Former Rep. Melissa Bean won the 8th District with support from AIPAC affiliate Democratic Majority for Israel. Bean beat Junaid Ahmed, who – like Abughazaleh – called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide" and supported aid revocation from the US. She will replace Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who also received AIPAC support in the past.

Ford Wins 7th District: Rep. La Shawn Ford beat Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th District and will replace retiring Rep. Danny Davis. AIPAC affiliate United Democracy Project supported Conyears-Ervin with about $5 million, due to Ford's ambiguous stance on Israel. 

Miller Wins 2nd District: Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller beat former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in the 2nd District, with support from Democratic Majority for Israel. Miller will replace Rep. Robin Kelly in what Politico (Lean Left) called "the biggest potential [ideological] change" of the primaries, given that Kelly – like Abughazaleh and Ahmed – called Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide."

How The Media Covered It: Media outlets across the political spectrum most prominently covered the 9th District, as its Democratic lean presumes Biss' victory in November's general election. Outlets on the right mostly focused their coverage on Abughazaleh's defeat. Daily Caller, for example, highlighted an indictment against her for allegedly disrupting law enforcement outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. The Epoch Times (Lean Right) split from the rest of the right and published original reporting recapping all the races.

Outlets on the left often juxtaposed Democratic sentiments and AIPAC's agenda. NBC News (Lean Left), for example, noted the "clash between progressives and pro-Israel Democrats," and Politico highlighted polls exhibiting a shift away from Israeli support, particularly among Democratic voters. The outlet stated, "It's clear the organization is aware of its standing in Democratic primaries – its ads focused on everything but Israel, accusing candidates of not being progressive enough on other issues." It also asserted that AIPAC's actions "ma[de] an enemy" of Biss. 

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