Progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss are tied in the Democratic primary race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) of Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, according to a poll released Thursday by left-wing think tank Data for Progress.
In the race’s first public poll not sponsored by a candidate, both Abughazaleh and Biss have 18% of the vote, with State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) trailing in distant third place at 10%. State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) and Gen Z politician Bushra Amiwala have 6% support each.
Thirty-one percent of respondents remain undecided, according to the poll.
The survey was commissioned by The Justice Coalition Action — an Illinois-based Palestinian rights organization — and conducted between Oct. 29 and Nov. 3.
Biss exhibited the highest favorability rating among the candidates included in the survey, with 40% of the poll’s 569 respondents saying they view the mayor either somewhat or very favorably.
Biss and Abughazaleh also led the field in terms of overall name recognition, with the majority of primary voters saying they had heard enough about the candidates to form either a positive or negative opinion about them. None of the other candidates showed more than 40% name recognition.
Threats to democracy and the economy are top of Democratic primary voters’ minds, according to the survey, with 34% and 17% of voters, respectively, listing them as most important when considering which candidate to support.
The poll had a four-point margin of error.
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