Journalist and influencer Kat Abughazaleh announced her running for Congress in YouTube videos. In a video that looks more like a live stream, rather than a videotape that announces bids, Abughazaleh promises a transparent campaign to fight for affordable groceries and support authoritarians.
Abughazaleh is running in the 9th District of Illinois, which covers the northern side of Chicago and some of its suburbs. She will try to get the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent and party-staunch Jan Schakowsky to have been in the seat since 1999.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7OHCLGO3CY
“I said it's time to give up the excuse and grow a fucking spine,” Abughazaleh said in the announcement video. “We need a vision that is bigger than the vision we were told. There is absolutely no reason you shouldn't afford housing, groceries and health care, and some money left over. Families should have free parenting. Social security should be expanded, and our inalienable rights should not depend on who holds power. This means holding power.
It is obvious that the video was made for young audiences by someone who grew up using social media. It has the beauty of a streamer: it comes with a floating microphone arm, a clear and focused high-quality camera, bakes with subtitles, and has the ability to edit, which helps Abughazaleh emphasize her point of view.
Abughazaleh has been making videos online for many years. She works on media issues, where she criticizes and dissects the key points of right-wing media and conversations. She also made videos for Jones’ mother.
In 2023, Media Affairs published an investigation that revealed how advertisers on X often appear next to Nazi propaganda. Advertisers fled the platform. Musk sued the company for slander in Texas, and the case is still ongoing. The company then fired employees, including Abughazaleh, saying they could not pay their legal bills and their workers at the same time.
Abughazaleh said in a congressional announcement that she knew how to fight with someone like Musk. “Just a few months ago, Elon Musk's lawyers ousted me in Chicago and asked about my mean tweets,” she said. In the months after leaving media affairs, she produced videos independently on YouTube and Tiktok, with 2.17,000 followers.
I summed up Elon Musk taking over our government in 70 seconds: pic.twitter.com/xmpcmz7smd
– Kat Abughazaleh (@abughazalehkat) February 17, 2025
Chuck Schumer called it a strategy when he bowed to Congressional Republicans in the budget struggle. Voters see it as a weakness. Voters are looking for anyone willing to fight as Musk and Trump rush around the federal government and attack social security. Democrats, especially the Old Line, seem to be letting go. Even in amidst strong opposition to Trump, the party has seen a decrease in the number of polls and added adverse ratings.
“What if we don't suck?” Abughazaleh said in a video announcing her run. “We all deserve better. We deserve human rights and financial freedom, and a political party that represents authority.”
Schakowsky has her own YouTube channel, where she posted clips of her speech on the floor of Congress, media hits and direct camera addresses with voters. The March 13 video about her future plans stands in stark contrast to Abughazaleh's announcement. The color balance has been closed, the lighting is not good, the Capitol is vaguely visible in the background, and the editor seems to cover the error, instead helping Schakowsky emphasize the key points of her conversation. She also boasted that Rachel Maddow mentioned her on TV.
“I was in Daley Plaza to protect science,” Shakowski said in the video. “Rachel Maddow also mentioned that I've been there. I'll continue to show up and welcome you to join me. We have to see. We have to shout. We have to prepare for the fight.”
This is not the first time someone has tried to start a political career using social media stars. After years of fighting toxic gamers online, game developer Brianna Wu ran for Congress in 2018 and 2020. She lost both times. In 2022, accredited physician and podcast host Sydnee McElroy successfully won the Democratic primary to win the Congressional seat in West Virginia, but lost the match against the Republican incumbent.
The difference here is that Wu and McIlroy have other careers and use social media to achieve political power. Abughazaleh is a digital native who spent years posting online and fighting the ring wings and often wins. She is known primarily for her political content. Time will tell if this can be translated into an election victory.
On March 6, the New York Times reported that lawmakers were afraid of Trump and the online army he commanded. “Every Disinfo reporter/researcher I know (myself included) is a despicable tweet from Elon Musk, even the target of legal action,” Abughazaleh said in an article by the Bluesky.
“Frankly, this is a skill issue.”
