Democratic candidate Kat Abughazaleh on Thursday scored another first in the crowded race to succeed U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky in the largely suburban 9th District by releasing a cable TV ad.

Abughazaleh, a former journalist and internet personality who moved to Chicago from New York last year, already was the first candidate in the race and the first to release a professionally made campaign video on the web.

The cable TV spot, which Team Abughazaleh said came with a six-figure price tag, is a slightly different version of the original 30-second commercial that debuted in late October.

It starts with a snippet of a news report about Abughazaleh being thrown to the ground by a federal agent during a September protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. Abughazaleh is among six people facing charges stemming from their actions during that protest. They’ve pleaded not guilty.

The rest of the video includes excerpts of remarks Abughazaleh made to the media about Operation Midway Blitz and a montage of agents at work. A “Paid for by Kat for Illinois” tagline appears at the end.

The commercial was scheduled to hit cable broadcasts Thursday, nearly three months before Illinois’ March 17, 2026, primary election.

Abughazaleh criticized political ads on cable when she declared her candidacy this past March. She specifically promised not to waste donations “on old, ineffective tactics” such as TV ads.

When the Abughazaleh campaign launched the initial ad on the web, she released a separate video in which she acknowledged people are “sick of a lot of political messaging, from spam texts to the same commercials you see over and over again.”

A campaign spokesperson on Thursday said Abughazaleh changed her mind about cable TV months ago after getting “strong, consistent feedback” from residents and political organizers. Abughazaleh now feels cable ads are necessary “to reach voters effectively and equitably across the district,” the spokesperson said.

Abughazaleh is among 17 Democrats running to replace Schakowsky, who isn’t seeking reelection after more than 25 years on Capitol Hill. Other contenders include Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, state Sens. Laura Fine of Glenview and Mike Simmons of Chicago and state Rep. Hoan Huynh of Chicago.

Four candidates are running for the Republican nomination.

Abughazaleh has raised more campaign cash than any of the other candidates, the most recent financial reports in the race show.

The 9th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. It stretches from Chicago’s North Shore to the Crystal Lake area.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251211/us-congress-politics/despite-earlier-criticism-of-cable-ads-abughazaleh-launches-the-first-in-9th-district-race/