USA TODAY STORY: Kat Abughazaleh is speaking to Gen Z. Democrats should listen. | Opinion What I hope Democrats glean from Kat Abughazaleh's campaign, regardless of whether she wins, is that Gen Z is not content being fed the same talking points Democrats have been making since 2016. By Sara Pequeño USA TODAY Updated March 16, 2026, 11:29 a.m. ET Photo of Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh addresses supporters in Chicago after pleading not guilty Nov. 12, 2025, to charges filed in connection with a protest against the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign. Michael Lori/USA TODAY
During a February debate hosted by Fox 32 Chicago, Kat Abughazaleh said everything I've seen my friends say on Instagram in the past two years. And there was no skirting around sensitive subjects during her answers. The candidate running for Illinois' gth Congressional District in the U.S. House called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Abughazaleh called the actions of Israel a "genocide" and labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal." She brought up concerns about artificial intelligence and plugged her campaign office, which doubles as a mutual aid hub to help constituents in need. The former journalist and content creator had several moments where she looked directly into the camera and talked to viewers directly - at one point even pulling a brief "Office"-style glance at the camera while her opponents, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and state Sen. Laura Fine, bickered over the involvement of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in the Democratic race. Yet throughout everything, Abughazaleh's values shine through. Her campaign office's mutual aid hub has served thousands in the community and is proving to Democrats that there are things they could be doing now to help their communities. She has been admonished by Democratic politicos who feel her campaign is radical, yet the same people want to see the party capture authenticity like hers. Photo of Kat, main headshot.
"So much of our campaign has been experimental and honestly laughed at by a lot of people who have been in politics for a long time," Abughazaleh said. "And then they see that it works, and then they get mad." They get more than mad - they get scared. They're scared of losing power, and they're scared that someone with no political experience but the values they're scared to espouse is getting so much attention for being what the Democratic Party has been scared to be. "It's been almost a year now, and this campaign has been run by the hard work and faith of so many incredible people from our staff to our volunteers, and the entire time we have been told that we have no chance, that we have no shot, that this could never work," Abughazaleh said. "And now organizations like AIPAC are panicking because they realize that we're going to win. And we knew the entire time." What I hope Democratic leaders glean from Abughazaleh's campaign for U.S. Congress, regardless of whether she wins, is that Gen Z is not content being fed the same talking points Democrats have been making since 2016. We want to see the party take charge and do everything in its power to help people. And if we don't get it from those now in office, we will happily run to replace them.
If we want to motivate voters of all ages, we have to try something different.
I propose kindness, authenticity, and unapologetic progressivism. People power over entrenched power. That’s the future.
