CHICAGO—The Democratic primaries for Congress in Illinois were held on March 17, setting the stage for the November elections. Given the state’s strong Democratic tilt, the primary winners are widely expected to have an advantage in the general election.
One of the most-watched contests was in the state’s Ninth Congressional District, where Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won the Democratic primary, defeating 14 other candidates including content creator Kat Abughazaleh, state Sen. Laura Fine, and former FBI agent Phil Andrew. It is unclear which Republican Biss will face in the midterms.
Most voters who spoke with The Epoch Times cast their ballot for Biss. They cited Biss’s leadership experience and campaign tone as key reasons for their support.Cynthia Greenwood voted for Biss. She said that Biss has been mayor of Evanston, "so I've seen him in action."
She also said that he ran a positive campaign while Fine was "very negative at the end."
"I thought Daniel Biss was above board," Greenwood said. "I mean, he just told us what he was gonna do. He didn't tear down other people, and I don't like that negativity."
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Fine campaign for comment.
Other voters expressed different priorities. Betsy, who declined to give her last name, said she supported Andrew, citing a desire for greater cooperation in politics.
Betsy said the issue that matters to her is the need for people, not just those in Washington, to come together to solve problems."We're just not working together to come to the greater good and realizing that different people were raised with different experiences and therefore have a different perspective," she said. "And we need to make it better for all of us."
Xiao Cuizhu said she voted for Biss largely due to name recognition, noting her familiarity with him as Evanston’s mayor.
Meanwhile, Lisa Stewart said that she backed Abughazaleh and that the Democrats need new leadership.
"We need new people in the pipeline, new leadership. We need people with new ideas," she said.
"It's not good enough to just say you don't support ICE and show up to one or two things and think that that's enough anymore," Stewart continued. "We need to turn over the old leadership and get people in there that are actually going to take action."
The issues she cares about are ICE operations in Evanston, affordable housing, public safety, and the need for new leaders in power.
In the 7th Congressional District, state Rep. La Shawn Ford secured the Democratic nomination, defeating 12 other candidates, including Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and community organizer Kina Collins, who had previously challenged retiring Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) in multiple election cycles. Ford will face Chad Koppie in the fall.
Jocelyn Scott, a mother of three children, said she supported Collins, describing her as a grassroots candidate more in touch with everyday people. She identified women’s rights and affordability as her top concerns, highlighting the high cost of childcare and the financial pressures facing working families.
"I would love to stay home, but then you run the risk of 'Oh, are we gonna be able to afford, literally, food? Are we gonna be able to afford our mortgage? Are we gonna go afford our bills,'" Scott said.
In Illinois's Second Congressional District, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller cruised to victory over 10 other Democratic candidates including former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. He will square off against truck driver Mike Noack in November.
In the state's 8th Congressional District, former Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) defeated seven other Democrats including tech consultant Junaid Ahmed, Hanover Park trustee Yasmeen Bankole, and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison. It is unclear which Republican Bean will face in the race to succeed outgoing Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who is running for the U.S. Senate.