Kat Abughazaleh, the Gen Z content creator running for retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s seat, received her first endorsement from a member of Congress on Monday: Rep. Ro Khanna.
The endorsement comes three days after Khanna called out the Democratic Party at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit, arguing that the party’s “old guard needs to go.” Abughazaleh was also in attendance at the conference.
“The old ways have not been working. This party needs a new rebirth,” Khanna, who has been trying to position himself as a leader of the Democratic Party, said at the summit. “This party needs a rebirth to stand for human rights. This party needs a rebirth to stand for the working class. This party needs a rebirth to stand for people over the donor class.”
Abughazaleh — whose campaign says she has raised over $1 million in contributions without any PAC money — is one of the many young, progressive candidates who are trying to emulate the success of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. Mamdani received endorsements from key progressives on Capitol Hill: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and also Khanna.
“This milestone is a testament to real change,” Abughazaleh said in a statement about the endorsement. “We’re fighting to build an economy that serves working people, not the billionaire class, so we must keep our momentum strong and growing.”
When asked if Abughazaleh was hoping other progressives would follow Khanna’s endorsement, Sam Weinberg, her campaign manager, told NOTUS, “Kat is running a progressive campaign to improve the lives of working people, and she welcomes support from all those who believe in the same mission.”
Abughazaleh is facing a crowded Democratic primary. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has already picked up an endorsement from Warren, as well as from multiple Illinois local and state politicians.
Abughazaleh first announced her decision to run for office in May, before Schakowsky had announced her retirement. At the time, the content creator said the Democratic Party needed a “makeover” and to “grow a fucking spine.”
Khanna, who chaired Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, said Abughazaleh “represents the absolute best that the Democratic Party has to offer.”
“I look forward to working with Kat when she’s elected, so that together we can defeat Donald Trump’s inhumane agenda and focus on the most pressing issues facing working people,” Khanna continued.