Kat Abughazaleh: The leftist influencer seeking to reach Congress

In the US political landscape, where social networks have given way to a new generation of public figures, Kat Abughazaleh emerges as a name that generates both attention and questions.

At 26, this journalist, content creator and now candidate for Congress for Illinois' 9th District has built a career that blends media analysis, progressive activism and a digital presence that doesn't go unnoticed. Her current goal is ambitious: to challenge Jan Schakowsky, the Democratic representative who has dominated the district since 1999.

But behind her meteoric rise, from the halls of Media Matters to the viral videos of TikTok, is a profile that doesn't escape criticism: a familiar-sounding agenda and statements that divide more than they unite.

The origins: from Media Matters to controversy with Elon Musk

Kat Abughazaleh's career began to take shape at Media Matters for America, a left-leaning organization known for its mission to monitor and counter what it describes as “conservative misinformation" in the media.

Since 2020, Kat worked there as a researcher and video producer, specializing in analyzing American right-wing rhetoric. Her main focus was Fox News, and in particular attacking figures like Tucker Carlson, whom she dissected in style with stinging sarcasm.

That content didn't stay in internal reporting: she took it to TikTok, where her weekly roundups on conservative narratives began to gain traction among a young audience, eventually reaching more than 225,000 followers.

However, her time at Media Matters ended abruptly in May 2024. The organization faced a lawsuit from Elon Musk after posting an article that claimed that the X platform placed ads alongside pro-Nazi content.

The complaint, filed in a Texas court, accused Media Matters of fabricating images showing advertiser posts alongside extremist content, portraying them as representative of the typical X experience.

“Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts on X Corp.’s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content and then portrayed these manufactured images as if they were what typical X users experience on the platform.”

“Media Matters designed both these images and its resulting media strategy to drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp.”

The result was a severe blow to the organization, with cutbacks that left Kat and a dozen colleagues without jobs.

On her X account, she reacted with a mixture of regret and defiance:

“Bad News: I’ve been laid off from @mmfa, along with a dozen colleagues. There’s a reason far-right billionaires attack Media Matters with armies of lawyers: They know how effective our work is, and it terrifies them (him).”

The episode marked a turning point, but it also catapulted her into a new phase.

The leap into politics: a candidacy with TikTok as a base

After her departure from Media Matters, Kat did not retreat. She reinvented herself as an independent content creator, expanding her presence to platforms such as Bluesky - where today she has 154,000 followers - and consolidating her image as an unfiltered leftist voice. Her direct style, which does not dodge words like "fucking," lead her once again to polemicize.

In March 2025, she went a step further: she announced her candidacy for Congress for Illinois' 9th District, an area that encompasses the northern suburbs of Chicago and parts of the city itself. Her goal is clear: to unseat Schakowsky, a veteran Democrat who in the 2024 election obtained more than 68% of the vote in a solidly blue district.

Kat's campaign got off to a strong start. In the first few days, she raised more than $275,000 from 7,000 individual donors, according to press reports, a figure that reflects support from young progressive voters and a base that has followed her since her TikTok days.

Tommy Vietor, a former adviser to Barack Obama described her as "one of the sharpest observers of conservative media" and noted her ability to make herself heard, according to the Washington Post.

But the endorsement doesn't obscure the questions surrounding his candidacy: how far can a figure whose expertise lies more in media analysis and social media than public management go?

A leftist agenda with no surprises

If anything defines Kat Abughazaleh as a candidate, it is her policy platform, a compendium of proposals that fit neatly into the mold of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

On her website, where the first thing that pops up on the screen when you enter is a big sign to donate money, she advocates universal single-payer health care, free childcare, the expansion of Social Security, salary increases for teachers and public education.

On the environmental front, she supports the Green New Deal, an initiative that seeks to sustain the climate alarmism agenda. On social issues, her stance is equally clear: she advocates abortion, protections for the LGTBIQA+ community and immigration policies against mass deportations.

Her Palestinian heritage also plays a role: she records videos with a keffiyeh in the background and has made the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of her discourse.

“There’s no reason every American should not be able to afford housing, groceries, health insurance, public transit (ideally), and then still have enough money to save,” she has said in interviews during the campaign, summing up a vision that promises economic and social welfare for all.

It's a stance reminiscent of figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom Kat seems to admire, albeit without the New York congresswoman's legislative baggage. However, her agenda offers no unexpected twists or proposals that depart from the standard leftist script. For some, that makes her a predictable candidate.

Party criticisms and statements that generate noise

Kat doesn't just take aim at Republicans; she also has harsh words for her own party. She openly criticizes the "old guard" Democrats, such as Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, whom she accuses of not resisting Donald Trump enough, re-elected in 2024. "Unfortunately, this party has become one where you have to look to the exceptions for real leadership. "The majority work from an outdated playbook," she said in a campaign video.

However, her statements do not stop at internal criticism of the Democratic Party. Kat has been a fierce detractor of Trump, whom she accuses of "dismantling our country piece by piece" together with allies such as Elon Musk.

On her website she notes without nuance, "I'm running for Congress because the same old shit isn't working — and it won't work to defeat Trump and Musk's agenda,” she has said, displaying a combative stance that admits to no gray areas.

She has also taken aim at Tucker Carlson. She celebrated her dismissal from Fox News in 2023 On her X account, Kat recalls and continues to celebrate:

“Fox News fired Tucker Carlson one year ago today -- I'm happy to report it's been a rough year for America's squeakiest fascist.”

The residency problem: a disconnected candidate

One of the weakest points of her candidacy is her place of residence. Kat lives in Streeterville, an affluent neighborhood in Chicago that is not part of District 9, which includes suburbs such as Evanston and Skokie, as well as urban areas north of the city.

Although the law does not require that a candidate reside in the district she represents - only in the same state - the fact has generated criticism among those who see her as an outsider with no real ties to the community she seeks to lead. We are moving "imminently," she explained in response to questioning.

The excuse has not silenced voices pointing to a disconnect, especially in a district where Schakowsky has built a loyal base based on her decades-long local presence.

Controversies dogging her

Kat Abughazaleh's style is both her strength and her Achilles heel. Her use of lighthearted language, such as the "fucking spine" of her campaign ad, has divided opinion.

For her supporters, it is a sign of authenticity, a break with the political correctness that dominates many politicians. To her detractors, it is a sign of immaturity, an unfavorable contrast to the sobriety expected of a congresswoman.

During her years on Media Matters, she earned the antipathy of the right for her analysis of Fox News and her mockery of Carlson. After the anchor's firing, her public celebration did not go unnoticed, cementing her as a polarizing figure.

Now, as a candidate, those controversies follow her, especially in a political climate where the right - bolstered by Trump's reelection - does not hesitate to point to her as part of a radical left that despises half the country.

A renovator or just another echo?

Kat Abughazaleh comes to the political arena with energy, yes and an interesting digital base. Her ability to mobilize donors - $275,000 in a few days - and the backing of figures like Vietor suggest she has real appeal among young progressives.

However, her candidacy does not escape shadows: a platform that does not deviate from the standard leftist script, a residence that distances her from the district, and a history of controversial statements.

Facing Jan Schakowsky won't be easy. The veteran Democrat has turned District 9 into a blue stronghold, with consistent victories.

Kat, meanwhile, is banking on a generational shift, but her lack of governing experience and focus on national issues over local ones could limit her reach.

The opportunity to generate wealth

On her website, where she explains her reasons for being a candidate, she notes that, "We (people under like 50, I guess) haven't had the chance to build wealth like previous generations, but that doesn't make our lives worth any less. That's why we need representation that actually knows the realities of today's economic and social landscapes, because we deserve new solutions fit for 2025 and beyond rather than the same ones our lawmakers have pushed since 2005.”

The contradictions of her policy vision

On the "basic existence" of human beings, the candidate is very clear about the value of human existence by saying, “Existence is a right, not a privilege and we can't let anyone tell us otherwise.”

However, in the section on "Reproductive Rights" she points out:

"This is pretty easy for me: Abortion access is essential to healthcare, plain and simple.”

But those contradictions are not hers alone; they extend to the Democratic Party broadly that she seeks to represent. Kat staunchly defends statements that resonate as universally principled, but clashes with her support for opposing causes she describes as "essential."

Her residency outside of District 9, her criticism of the "old guard" while aligning herself with their progressive ideas, and her jump from TikTok to politics without legislative experience add layers to a long list of tensions.

As 2026 looms, Kat Abughazaleh embodies an open chapter in Democratic history: a struggle between the idealism of the young grassroots and the realities of a party still seeking to define itself against a country with a Republican Party with strong leadership.