A gift bag containing holy water, cat food and a pickle, among other things, set off the tensest moment of an otherwise subdued Sunday candidate forum for various electoral seats.
Republican candidate Rocío Cleveland attempted to give “a little care package” to Democratic contender and progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh, in light of her recent federal indictment.
Abughazaleh did not accept the gift bag — which also contained a toothbrush “to protect (her)self” with, should she be imprisoned. Her campaign manager, Sam Weinberg, told The Daily that Cleveland has called Abughazaleh’s campaign “the home of Hezbollah” before, which she did again at the Sunday event.
The clash punctuated the end of an otherwise calm forum meant to bring together candidates from three Illinois races — contests for the Illinois 9th Congressional District seat, the 9th District state Senate seat, and the Illinois 17th Congressional District seat — for informal conversations with voters.
Hosted at the Tikvah Center for Jewish Recovery and Healing, by the Chicago Jewish Alliance, the North Shore Forum for Education and the Jewish & Assyrian Heritage Club in Northbrook, the forum emphasized “discussion, not debate,” as contenders mingled with the crowd and introduced their platforms at various tables around the room, according to the Chicago Jewish Alliance’s website.
As one of two candidates running for the state Senate seat, Democrat Rachel Ruttenberg (Medill M.S. ’04) said she’s ready to continue her advocacy work down in Springfield when the state legislature will have to “grapple with a really challenging budgetary situation after the implementation of the big, horrible bill.”
“There’s a lot of excitement about women in politics right now, with the two women who won gubernatorial seats,” Ruttenberg said, referring to last week’s election results in Virginia and New Jersey.
Her primary opponent, Democrat Patrick Hanley, reiterated the need for an affordable Illinois, a stronger economy and better environmental legislation, calling for legislators for whom “environmentalism is a conviction and not just a policy issue.”
Among the Democratic 9th Congressional District candidates present were State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview), Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss (D), Gen Z politician Bushra Amiwala, Bruce Leon, State Rep. Hoan Huynh (D-Chicago), Howard Rosenblum, Jeff Cohen, Justin Ford, Sam Polan, Abughazaleh, Nick Pyati, State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) and Phil Andrew.
Republicans Mark Su, Cleveland and Paul Friedman were also in attendance.
Huynh stayed only briefly, and Biss left the event early.
With just four Republican candidates in the race for the seat, pitches ranged from Cleveland’s position as the self-described “only true conservative Republican” with an “America-first” agenda, to Su citing his business and media experience, alongside his ties to the Chinese, Hispanic and Indian communities, as his strong points.
Across the aisle, 17 Democratic candidates have filed for a chance to represent the district in D.C., several of whom mentioned constituent concerns about affordability and the current presidential administration.
Fine told The Daily about her conversations throughout the afternoon about SNAP benefits and healthcare.
“Without the subsidies provided by the federal government, many people are really concerned that they’re going to no longer be able to afford their health care and don’t know what they’re going to do as a society,” Fine said.
Meanwhile, Pyati reiterated his platform’s emphasis on building a party that can win in 2028, noting that some of his fellow candidates are career politicians who lack his varied professional experience.
He added that it’s been heartening to see how his message of economic growth and innovation is being received by “a very progressive district.”
As a first-time political candidate, Polan said his biggest challenge thus far has been name recognition, after having spent 12 years trying to minimize his online presence.
Previously, Polan served in the army for nine years, before working with the Pentagon as a senior policy and strategy advisor for three years — recent federal experience that he said differentiated from other candidates.
“We’re coming out of the longest shutdown in government history,” Polan said, pointing out the partisan blame game. “I think many Americans, especially younger Americans, are just so frustrated and so jaded right now by that whole process.”
He highlighted his temperament and his ability to work with people who he may disagree with as key qualifications.
Concerns about candidate visibility and accountability also surfaced in conversations throughout the afternoon. As of October, both Biss and Abughazaleh sport seven-figure war chests.
On Nov. 13, Abughazaleh pled not guilty to two counts related to protest activity after being federally indicted on Oct. 23 — due to which she missed a scheduled appearance at a virtual candidate forum that evening.
She said one of the most meaningful experiences at today’s forum was her conversation with a 14-year-old boy about fear for his safety and concerns about antisemitism.
“I just kind of went in with wanting to communicate that — look, our lives are intertwined, our futures are intertwined, and we can’t have peace unless both of us are safe,” Abughazaleh told The Daily.
Skokie resident Kamran Forghani attended the forum with around 10 other community members involved in grassroots work. Kamran said they wanted to get to know the candidates better, especially given the racial, ethnic and religious diversity of the constituents.
The crowded IL-09 race comes in the wake of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s retirement announcement, having held the seat since 1999.
“I know some of the candidates from previous positions, but it’s a big discrepancy between funding that they have,” Forghani said. “We are trying to understand the people who have good ideas, rather than louder voices.”
Assyrian GOP chairman Joseph Tamraz said he thinks there should be a term limit for Congress members as well, citing U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s long tenure. Politicians should realize if they cannot do the job, they have to step down, he said.
He pointed out some candidates present failed to show up to community events until an election year for a higher office.
“Most of those candidates, I told them, ‘Where have you been all these years? Now, it’s an election year, you’re showing your face?’” Tamraz said. “It doesn’t matter what position you hold. You have to come back with the community.”
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Related Stories:
— 17 Democrats, 4 Republicans file for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District primaries
— Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh speaks to Northwestern students after federal indictment
