Illinois congressional hopeful Kat Abughazaleh is facing fresh scrutiny after admitting she missed a campaign forum because she overslept, blaming what she describes as debilitating sleep attacks."
Abughazaleh, a former operative for the left-wing watchdog Media Matters for America, acknowledged in a Tuesday statement that, "I have a chronic illness called narcolepsy. It makes me extremely tired and occasionally causes sleep attacks, times when my brain literally cannot stay awake," adding, "I ended up sleeping through alarms, calls, and even my campaign manager knocking on my door repeatedly." According to the Washington Free Beacon, the incident has raised questions about both her readiness for office and her judgment as she campaigns to represent Illinoiss Ninth Congressional District.
The missed appearance was a candidate forum hosted by Indivisible Edgewater, a local arm of the multimillion-dollar Indivisible network funded in part by progressive billionaire George Soros. The day before the event, Abughazaleh was in Los Angelesnearly 2,000 miles from her districtparticipating in a live stream with far-left online personality Hasan Piker, who once said America deserved 9/11 and lamented the United States victory over the Soviet Union, as reported by Evanston Now reporter Matthew Eadie.
This is not the first time Abughazaleh has failed to appear at a progressive gathering, despite running as an unapologetically far-left candidate. Last month, she drew criticism after double-booking a Democratic Socialists of America event in Chicago, Eadie reported, offering little explanation for her absence.
Abughazaleh has also attracted attention for her radical activism and rhetoric. She made headlines in September when she attempted to block an ICE vehicle during a rally where protesters chanted "Shoot ICE," and she later posted videos on X showing herself obstructing the vehicle while other demonstrators were recorded yelling "shoot the fers."
Her campaign platform mirrors this hard-left posture. On her website, Abughazaleh vows "no capitulation to fascists" and pledges to recognize a Palestinian state, and she was praised in Arab media after prominently featuring a keffiyeh in her launch video.
Abughazaleh is mounting an aggressive challenge from the left in a crowded Democratic primary to replace 14-term representative Jan Schakowsky. She has secured the backing of progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D., Calif.), while her chief rival is Evanston mayor Daniel Biss, who enjoys support from numerous establishment Democrats in Illinois.
Following the latest controversy, Abughazaleh attempted to reassure supporters while conceding embarrassment over the episode. "Once again, I am so sorry andto be honestvery embarrassed. Thank you for wanting to hear from our campaign at all, and I hope that we can share our vision with you in the future," she said, leaving voters to weigh her ideological extremism and personal reliability as early voting approaches.
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