Last updated Jan. 7 at 4:00 p.m.
Retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) endorsed Mayor Daniel Biss’ campaign for Congress Wednesday, calling him “an effective and fearless fighter for progressive causes.”
Her coveted endorsement cements Biss’ frontrunner status in the crowded Illinois’ 9th Congressional District Democratic primary to replace Schakowsky, which features 16 active candidates. The race is the most competitive to represent Evanston and its neighboring municipalities in the U.S. House of Representatives since Schakowsky was first elected in 1998.
In a Wednesday morning news release, Schakowsky wrote that she feels a “deep responsibility” to ensure residents are represented by someone who “fights for our progressive values, has a deep understanding of our community, and knows how to get big things done.”
“I am confident that Daniel Biss is that person, and I am proud to endorse him,” Schakowsky wrote.
In a video released by the Biss campaign on X Wednesday, Schakowsky lauded Biss’ political record, saying he has “expanded healthcare access, stood up to ICE and fought against corporate greed.”
In the caption of the video, Biss called Schakowsky “an icon, a fierce and fearless warrior for our communities and a true friend.” Biss is no stranger to Schakowsky, having sailed to reelection as Evanston’s mayor last April with her support.
Amid growing concerns about the role of lobbying groups in the race, which sparked a joint statement released Tuesday afternoon signed by Biss and at least six other candidates, Schakowsky highlighted the mayor’s local support.
“We cannot allow out-of-state donors and special interests to buy this seat, and Daniel is the candidate with the deepest local support,” Schakowsky wrote in her endorsement. “We need Daniel Biss in Congress to move our community and our country forward.”
Biss also boasts high-profile endorsements from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the Illinois AFL-CIO and three additional members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The endorsement is not the first indication of Biss’ strength among congressional hopefuls. The race’s first independent poll, released in November, showed Biss tied with progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh. Both candidates earned 18% support among the poll’s respondents.
Abughazaleh launched her campaign in March — before Schakowsky publicly announced her retirement — and has been endorsed by progressive U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).
“When an insurgent campaign starts breaking through, the establishment reacts. That’s what we’re seeing here,” the Abughazaleh campaign wrote in a statement to The Daily following Schakowsky’s endorsement. “Voters want change, not politics as usual.”
In a written statement issued by Phil Andrew, another Democratic candidate, the former FBI hostage negotiator expressed a similar sentiment.
He wrote that Biss’ campaign is an example not of public service but of “self-service.”
“I know Jan Schakowsky,” Andrew said. “Daniel Biss is no Jan Schakowsky. Look at his campaign: politician after politician endorsing another career politician.”
In a statement posted on X Tuesday evening in anticipation of Schakowsky’s announcement, State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) wrote that although she respects her service, “this race is about the future of our community, not the past.”
“She’s wrong about Daniel Biss and my record shows that I’ll fight the hardest to protect residents in the 9th Congressional district from the billionaires and insurance companies that Donald Trump is determined to let screw us over,” Fine wrote.
In a Wednesday morning news release, State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) wrote that while he respects “Schakowsky and her decades of service for our communities,” the district’s “voters are hungry for the next generation of bold leaders.”
The Democratic primary will take place on March 17.
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Related Stories:
— Poll shows Abughazaleh, Biss tied in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District Democratic primary
