Kat Abughazaleh (D), Daniel K. Biss (D), Laura Fine (D), and 14 others are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 9th Congressional District on March 17, 2026. As of December 2025, Abughazaleh, Biss, and Fine led in fundraising and polling.

Incumbent Jan Schakowsky (D) is not running for re-election. As of December 2025, major election forecasters rated the general election Solid Democratic. This is the first election in the 9th District without an incumbent on the ballot since Schakowsky was first elected in 1998. Axios' Justin Kaufmann said the primary "could pave the way for younger Democrats to take over the district that traditionally skews left."

Abughazaleh is a former researcher and video producer with Media Matters for America, a group describing itself as "a web-based, not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) progressive research and information center." Abghazaleh says she is running "because the same old sh** isn't working — and it won't work to defeat Trump's agenda." Abughazaleh said that "I've fought fascists before as a citizen, union rep, and independent journalist. Now, I'm going to do the same in Congress."

Biss is the mayor of Evanston and a former state legislator. Biss ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018. Biss says he is running "because we need Democrats who won't flinch, won't fold, won't forget what we're fighting for." Biss' campaign website says he "has built coalitions and brought people together to solve problems that have gone unaddressed for too long…Daniel continues to stand up to Donald Trump on immigration, preserving access to abortion, expanding mental health services, and more."

Fine was elected to the Illinois Senate in 2018. Fine served six years in the Illinois House and worked in journalism. Fine says she is running "to continue her fight to make sure Illinois continues to have a champion in Washington that stands up for families, not special interests." Fine's campaign website says: "For Laura, every bill, every battle, and every victory is personal – because she knows what it’s like to be the person counting on a system that too often says no."

Also running in the primary are Bushra Amiwala (D), Phil Andrew (D), Natalie Angelo (D), Patricia Brown (D), Jeff Cohen (D), Justin Ford (D), Mark Fredrickson (D), Hoan Huynh (D), Bethany Johnson (D), Bruce Leon (D), Sam Polan (D), Nick Pyati (D), Howard Rosenblum (D), and Mike Simmons (D).

In the 2024 election, Schakowsky defeated Seth Alan Cohen (D) 68%–32%.