"I Think I'm Very Intimidating to AIPAC "

"I was a math professor at the University of Chicago. I started there in 2002 and certainly never envisioned getting into politics. But if you think about what [was] happening then, it's the year after 9/11, six months before the war in Iraq, we're watching as the country has been lied into a war by George W Bush. And frankly, too many Democrats were too scared to say what was obvious."

"The crowded primary to succeed the district's outgoing representative has drawn national attention in part because of the millions of dollars flowing into the race from groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Though 15 candidates are on the ballot, the contest has largely narrowed to a three-way race between Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, journalist Kat Abughazaleh, and Illinois state Senator Laura Fine."

Illinois's Ninth Congressional District primary has attracted national attention due to millions in outside spending from AIPAC-aligned groups. The crowded field of 15 candidates has narrowed to a three-way contest between Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, journalist Kat Abughazaleh, and Illinois state Senator Laura Fine. Biss entered politics as a University of Chicago mathematics professor, organizing against the Iraq War in the early 2000s. He subsequently served in the Illinois House and Senate, ran for governor in 2018, and became Evanston's mayor in 2021. The race reflects broader tensions within Democratic politics regarding foreign policy, generational divides, and the party's progressive wing.

Read at The Nation