Kat Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old progressive political content creator, has declared her candidacy for Illinois’ Ninth Congressional District. This announcement is a huge victory for her career. She is in the midst of her transformation from extremism researcher and viral video producer to political hopeful. Abughazaleh has a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. Her vision is to use her digital communications acumen and robust social media following to win her way into the ranks of Congress.
Abughazaleh’s campaign launch already made history, raising more than $100,000 in its first seven hours. This remarkable initial haul is a testament to her deep support base, to the state of her message and what it continues to resonate with her supporters. With an average contribution of just $45, her campaign shows the power of grassroots enthusiasm.
A pivotal moment in Abughazaleh's career occurred last year when she was laid off from Media Matters, where she researched extremism. The layoff especially attracted widespread attention when Elon Musk gloated over it on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Musk's public remark highlighted their contentious history, further intensified when Musk sued Media Matters over an article about X's advertisements appearing alongside pro-Nazi content.
Yet—if not because of—her past with Musk, Abughazaleh has opted to focus on Bluesky instead of on X in her digital game plan. She now has nearly 154,000 followers on Bluesky and reaches more than a half-million people on social platforms. She loves nothing more than to engage her audience with progressive political content. Her biggest audience, at 222,000 followers, is on TikTok, where her videos targeting millennial and Gen Z voters have gained significant attention.
From ground zero, Abughazaleh chronicles her campaign experience authentically. She’s making a concerted effort to chronicle her journey on YouTube to engage voters on a more personal level. Her approach underscores her belief that the Democratic Party needs to revamp its digital strategy to better connect with the electorate.
“I think the big problem Democrats have is their digital strategy, and people like me and people that are younger have a better understanding [of the internet],” Abughazaleh said.
A former Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos, Abughazaleh has a unique background to draw on during her campaign. Even despite all of the things she’s seen personally and professionally when it comes to extremism, she understands what’s going on domestically and internationally. In her campaign, she draws attention to the need to address the racial wealth gap. She is especially passionate about making sure everyone has access to housing, grocery stores, and healthcare.
“There is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be able to afford housing, groceries, and healthcare with some money leftover,” she stated.
Abughazaleh’s social media presence is key to her overall campaign strategy. She argues that younger generations naturally understand how the internet works, and we can use that realization to produce communications that resonate politically.
“It’s something that we grew up with,” Abughazaleh remarked.
And even in the face of challenges and setbacks, Abughazaleh has an unwavering resolve to effect change. She is determined to lead on policy rather than be reactive to change. That’s what inspired her to run for Congress in the first place.
“I felt I didn’t want to wait around for someone to do something when I could do something right now,” she explained.
Leave a Reply