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.

A high-profile contender for the congressional post now held by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky has survived a legal challenge to her candidacy.

Island Lake Republican Rocio 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.”

From Capitol News Illinois: “Expressing your First Amendment rights is not a conspiracy and dissent is not a crime,” Abughazaleh told reporters Wednesday after an arraignment hearing

Already crowded races for a pair of largely suburban Congressional seats got even more packed, and four representatives find themselves facing challenges within their own party, as candidate filing for the 2026 primary election wrapped up Monday.

From Capitol News Illinois: At the state level, Gov. JB Pritzker filed petitions Monday to seek a third term, while the Republican primary to take him on remains in flux

The U.S. House race that’s shaping up to be the most crowded contest on Chicago-area primary ballots next March also could be Illinois’ costliest congressional clash.

A Democratic congressional hopeful from Evanston mocked Charlie Kirk on social media hours after the right-wing activist was assassinated.