Married Democrat Candidate Cozies Up To Much Younger Far-Left Opponent Over Drinks
Democratic candidates Daniel Biss and Kat Abughazaleh appeared to be hugging each other and enjoying drinks at a historic Chicago cocktail bar, less than a month before facing off in a heated House primary.
Biss, the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, and Abughazaleh, a prominent left-wing social media influencer, are both candidates in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, which will hold its crowded Democratic primary on March 17 to replace longtime Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81. The two were spotted next to each other at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Uptown Chicago, photos multiple accounts posted to X on Thursday.
The photos show Biss, a married father of two, sitting next to Abghazaleh, more than 20 years his junior, in a booth at the century-old bar, with what appear to be several alcoholic drinks on the table.
A VERY married @DanielBiss has a VERY nice drink after the debate at the Green Mill with his congressional opponent @KatAbughazaleh.
I’ve never seen two opponents in the congressional race look at each other the way Daniel looks at Kat.
Is this really what campaign season is all about… pic.twitter.com/e1tPa3dpsG
–Angela Van Der Pluym (@anjewla90) February 20, 2026
In one photo, Biss is seen smiling and holding a glass towards Abghazaleh. Another shows the mayor tilting his head toward the influencer, just inches from the two Democrats. (RELATED: Gen Z Progressives Say They Were Too Sleepy to Make It to Key Campaign Event)
When asked for comment, Biss’ campaign referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to Axios reporter Justin Kaufmann’s X-rated post.
“Ha! These photos were taken about 20 minutes after the end of the 9th Democratic Congressional Primary debate (which I moderated),” Kaufmann wrote. “It’s me (the bald guy on the other side). Yes, it was comfortable. Have you ever sat in a #MoulinVert stand?”
Kaufmann ended the message by saying: “Nothing inappropriate is happening. Damn.
Ha! These photos were taken about 20 minutes after the end of the 9th Democratic Congressional Primary debate (which I moderated).
It’s me (the bald guy on the other side). Yes, it was comfortable. Have you ever sat in a #MoulinVert stand?
Nothing inappropriate is happening. Damn. pic.twitter.com/ZdXX7rXVqQ
– Justin Kaufmann (@JustinKaufmann) February 20, 2026
Abghazaleh’s campaign, Fine’s campaign and The Green Mill did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.
A recent poll shows Biss in the lead with Abughazaleh in second or third place amid a chaotic field of 15 Democratic candidates. A February Impact Research poll sponsored by Biss’ campaign showed the Evanston mayor leading with 31 percent of the vote and Abghazaleh and Democratic Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine tied with 18 percent. A GBAO Strategies poll from January showed Biss and Fine tied with 21% and Abughazaleh with 14% of the vote.
Abughazaleh declared her candidacy for the House a little more than a month before Schakowsky announced she would not seek re-election. Biss entered the race after Schakowsky’s decision.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the district by 37 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, and it was last represented by a Republican in 1949.
Abughazaleh and Biss both present themselves as “progressive” Democrats and have both made their opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a centerpiece of their campaigns.
Abughazaleh made headlines after a grand jury indicted her and five others for allegedly blocking law enforcement vehicles outside an ICE facility in September 2025. The influencer also abruptly ended an interview with journalist Tara Palmeri in October after Palmeri released a video of the Gen Z candidate punching a federal law enforcement vehicle during the incident.
Biss, meanwhile, told CNN in September 2025 that when ICE comes to his town, he gets “a text message.”
“I can go out there immediately, share the rights that individuals have with them and inform them of their rights. Film, testify, hold ICE officials accountable,” the mayor told CNN’s Erin Burnett at the time.
Biss received the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC’s endorsement on Abughazaleh in November 2025.
Before running for office, Abughazaleh notably worked as a video content creator for the left-wing media organization Media Matters for America. The 26-year-old House candidate also came under scrutiny in January after she blamed her narcolepsy, a health condition that causes “sleep attacks,” for failing to show up at a candidates’ forum hosted by a chapter of the left-wing group Indivisible.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
