Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has won the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, dealing a major defeat to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Biss is set to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky and is now heavily favored to win the general election in this strongly Democratic district.
AIPAC-aligned groups spent over $5 million on ads in this race. According to Politico, the ads were first used to support AIPAC’s preferred candidate, state Sen. Laura Fine, and to attack Biss. Later, the ads also targeted social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh.
After pulling down its anti-Biss ads late in the race, a separate shell PAC appeared and began promoting another low-polling progressive candidate. This was a clear attempt to split the progressive vote and reduce Biss’s chances of winning.
AIPAC’s heavy spending failed even in a district with one of the largest Jewish populations in the country
The result is especially notable because Biss has been openly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza. His mother is Israeli, and his grandparents are Holocaust survivors. He openly called out AIPAC’s involvement in Democratic primaries throughout his campaign…