Six Democrats Face Off in FOX 32 Debate for Illinois’ 9th District

Overview

• Daniel Biss, Laura Fine, Kat Abughazaleh, Mike Simmons, Phil Andrew and Bushra Amiwala participated in Wednesday night’s FOX 32 debate moderated by Paris Schutz.
• FOX 32 split the lineup by polling, featuring Biss, Fine and Abughazaleh for the first 40 minutes and Simmons, Andrew and Amiwala in the final 20 minutes.
• All six candidates criticized perceived inaction by sitting House Democrats, staking out change-oriented pitches to voters.
• Sharp differences emerged on immigration enforcement, with Andrew urging court-based accountability and caution on street confrontations as Amiwala and Simmons called for abolishing ICE.
• Tensions rose over outside spending when Fine faced questions about an AIPAC-affiliated super PAC backing her, prompting heated exchanges with Biss.