Evanston native Miracle Jenkins suspended his campaign for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, endorsing Skokie-based candidate Bushra Amiwala in a campaign missive Sunday afternoon.
Jenkins is the first candidate to formally drop out of the race and endorse another candidate. Eighteen contenders remain on the playing field, vying for U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s (D-Evanston) seat, which will open in 2026 after she announced her retirement last spring.
Jenkins first announced his candidacy in early June amid a flurry of summer congressional campaign announcements by other candidates, establishing a platform uplifting the working class experience and promoting a “Universal New Deal,” which works toward universal Medicare for All, student loan debt forgiveness and stronger welfare programs.
“No one will fight for the working class as hard as Bushra Amiwala,” Jenkins said in the statement, released by the Amiwala campaign.
Amiwala, a Gen Z politician and a member of the Skokie School District 73.5 Board of Education since 2019, first announced her campaign back in June, emphasizing commitments to Medicare for All, environmental justice and student debt relief, similar to the platform Jenkins was running under.
She was teargassed while protesting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois last Friday, alongside fellow congressional candidates Kat Abughazaleh and Mayor Daniel Biss.
In the statement, Amiwala lauded Jenkins’ campaign for its challenging of the status quo of “gross inequality” in the district.
“I look forward to working together with him to mobilize voters and bring the values of our district to Washington,” Amiwala said in the campaign missive.
Email: m.guerra-echeverria@dailynorthwestern.com
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