Progressive Politics

Let’s talk briefly about the Illinois 9th District Democratic primary. According to available filings, Elect Chicago Women, a PAC backed by AIPAC’s political network, has already spent $2,887,149 supporting Laura Fine. Meanwhile, a deceptively named group called the Chicago Progressive Caucus has spent an additional $389,256 promoting Fine while attacking Kat Abughazaleh.

The substance of that spending is not subtle. Fine has refused to acknowledge the genocide unfolding in Gaza and continues to support U.S. military aid to Israel even as credible international institutions—including the International Court of Justice and major human rights organizations like B’TSalem—have recognized Israel’s actions as genocide. By contrast, Abughazaleh—who is herself half Palestinian—has called for adherence to international law and accountability for war crimes, including the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pursuant to international legal standards. Abughazaleh is the only viable candidate to have the courage to demand justice on this critical issue. And now, with recent polling showing she has is within the margin of error to win this election, AIPAC is spending nearly $1M in new attack ads against her.

When outside organizations spend millions of dollars to elevate one candidate while targeting another for demanding compliance with international law, the issue at stake is not simply campaign strategy.

It is the integrity of democratic self-governance itself.

The pattern is unmistakable. Candidates who rely on grassroots support and who are willing to speak openly about international law and human rights find themselves facing a tidal wave of outside spending designed to bury their campaigns under attack ads. Meanwhile, voters are often misled by PAC names that sound progressive or civic-minded but are in fact vehicles for advancing a narrow geopolitical agenda—in this case, defending Israel’s genocide.