With just four days until the consequential March 17 primary election, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) visited Evanston Friday to campaign for Mayor Daniel Biss, who is locked in the tight race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
Hundreds of volunteers turned out for the pre-canvassing event at Evanston SPACE, where Biss, donning a sweatshirt from Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign, introduced the influential progressive senator.
“Elizabeth Warren knows how to explain what went wrong with our economy and what it takes to fix it better than anybody else in America,” Biss said.
Six years ago, Biss was a prominent Illinois backer of Warren, whom the mayor said he fought his “heart out” for during the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Warren returned the favor by endorsing his congressional bid last July.
Speaking to a crowd of canvassers and campaign workers, she said Biss would take on billionaires, “spineless” Republicans and the “go-along-get-along caucus in Congress.”
Warren touched on typical progressive concerns: The middle class has been hollowed out, families are working more to afford less and Congress is more beholden to its “financial masters” than the people.
“It is time to have more fighters in Washington who are focused on an America that works — not just for a handful at the top, but works for everyone — and that is why I am in this fight for Daniel Biss,” Warren said.
At one point, she joked that she and Biss could play a game of “who said it?” because of their shared priorities around childcare.
Warren said progressive candidates like Biss are taking the “tougher path” by refusing to take money from corporate-funded political action committees. She pointed to the stakes of Tuesday’s election, which has garnered national attention for an influx of out-of-state spending reportedly tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“It comes down to you,” Warren said. “You are the people who are on the front lines fighting back for our democracy, and that fight is not just the fight that will happen in November. It is the fight that will happen next Tuesday.”
Warren’s visit with Biss was part of a broader Illinois tour supporting progressive Democrats. Also on Friday, she rallied in Chicago with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, a U.S. Senate candidate, and campaigned with entrepreneur Junaid Ahmed, who seeks to succeed U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg), another candidate for Senate, in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District.
Warren and Biss were also joined by Schakowsky and State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), who called on the crowd to spend “every waking moment” helping the mayor win.
“I sincerely hope, with all the wonderful things he’s done for our town, that he can be our next congressman,” said Evanston resident Chauncy Wadsworth, a senior at Haverford College who canvassed for Biss on Friday.
Wadworth is optimistic about a Biss victory but is concerned by progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh’s momentum. Recent polls show support for Abughazaleh has increased, cutting down Biss’ lead to within the margin of error.
Evanston resident Ana Gomez volunteered to canvas for the mayor because she thinks he and Warren are defending the American people during a time when “democracy is in jeopardy.”
“America is being destroyed, and people are being dehumanized, and they represent American values,” Gomez said. “And they care about everyone, not just some people.”
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