A Democratic congressional candidate who’s under federal indictment for her actions during a protest against the immigration crackdown was given an unwelcome, prison-themed gift bag by a Republican rival at a suburban campaign event Sunday.

Ninth District Democratic hopeful Kat Abughazaleh of Chicago was confronted by fellow candidate Rocio Cleveland, an Island Lake Republican, at a meet-and-greet featuring many candidates at the Tikvah Center for Jewish Recovery and Healing in Northbrook. Cleveland handed Abughazaleh a small, red bag.

Cleveland went on to remove and describe the items in the bag one by one. They included a toothbrush Cleveland said Abughazaleh would need “once you are in prison … to protect yourself.” Inmates have been known to use sharpened toothbrushes as weapons.

Abughazaleh and five other people were indicted last month on conspiracy and assault charges stemming from a September protest outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. Calling the charges an attack on their First Amendment rights, the defendants pleaded not guilty last week.

Cleveland’s gift bag also contained food and other objects, including a bottle of what Cleveland claimed was holy water. Cleveland said she thought Abughazaleh, who is Palestinian American, “(needs) to be baptized.”

“Do you want the holy water?” Cleveland asked. “I think you need it. I think you need it because it just seems like you’re possessed. You are possessed.”

Abughazaleh refused the bag. Cleveland repacked the items and walked away, telling Abughazaleh, “I’ll be praying for you.”

Cleveland shared a video of the confrontation afterward on social media.

In an email Monday, Abughazaleh’s campaign manager, Sam Weinberg, described Cleveland’s actions as a “weaponization and perversion of the Christian faith against a non-Christian for political purposes.”

While outspoken about her Palestinian heritage, Abughazaleh was raised in an interfaith household and doesn’t identify as a member of any particular denomination, Weinberg said.

The event’s sponsors included the Skokie-based Chicago Jewish Alliance. Group President Daniel Schwartz said the encounter between the two candidates “was not in the spirit of the evening.”

“Hundreds of people came to learn, ask questions, and engage directly with the individuals who want to represent them,” Schwartz said in an email.

Cleveland’s confrontation of Abughazaleh showed attendees “the character of those running for office and how they choose to show up when the room is paying attention,” Schwartz added.

More than a dozen Democratic and Republican candidates for the 9th District seat were scheduled to attend the event, which originally was planned for Wilmette. Candidates in other races participated, too.

Longtime U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky isn’t seeking reelection to the seat she’s held since 1999, prompting 21 candidates to file for the March 17, 2026, Democratic and Republican primaries. Abughazaleh is one of 17 Democrats; Cleveland is one of four Republicans.

Democratic congressional candidate Bushra Amiwala of Skokie attended the forum, and on Monday she called Cleveland’s actions “insensitive at best and malicious at worst.”

“Political persecution is no laughing matter,” Amiwala said in an email. “I’m appalled that this incident occurred during what was supposed to be a civil discussion about the future of our district.”

Republican congressional candidate John Elleson wasn’t at the event but said Cleveland “was clearly out of line.”

“Rocio’s use of religious cliches to demonize Kat was unbecoming,” said Elleson, a church pastor from Arlington Heights. “It was wrong and there is no place for this.”

The 9th District includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251117/us-congress-politics/republican-congressional-candidate-confronts-democratic-rival-with-holy-water-and-prison-themed-gift/