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This is the way
Even if she’s not going to win, she’s using her campaign to help real people right now. Props for that.
The criticism that she only recently moved to the district is in bad faith. How many of the city’s mayors had residency loopholes? We should be encouraging and welcoming visionary newcomers like Kat who are seeking to make an impact, especially given the state’s population drain.
Kat Abu is amazing and just the kind of grass roots candidate we need everywhere.
Hope I’m wrong, but I don’t trust anyone who wants this kind of power.
Although I agree with you, we will not get out of the hole we’re in if we don’t support people like this to overtake the ones that are legitimately hungry for power.
On the flipside, there’s always the possibility she’s doing this as a stunt and doesn’t mean any of it. Plenty of Gen-Z pretend to feed homeless people on TikTok, could just be a glorified version of that.
I do genuinely hope I’m wrong, but even at a very basic level here - she’s using funds people donated to her campaign for a purpose other than campaigning,.did she make this clear to people before they donated? If it is just being done for campaign clout then it’s kinda disingenuous by definition. I do hate that I’m this cynical fwiw.
Yes, she’s been very upfront about it. She makes it clear at her fundraising events that the proceeds are going to charitable organizations. Her campaign has been soliciting canned goods and menstrual hygiene products, instead of cash, in exchange for yard signs and stickers.
I get your cynicism, it’s a well-known adage that anyone who seeks power doesn’t deserve it. But for as long as we have elected federal representatives, I’d prefer to elect representatives who actually make tangible efforts to take care of people. Even if you see it as self-serving, to me it’s refreshing to see a candidate appeal to voters’ compassion instead of appealing to their fears and prejudices.
It’s all good, I’m in a similar cynical boat. By default I don’t trust anyone that’s in the spotlight by choice.
However, if shitty people start doing things like this just for clout, well it’s better than the Nazis that are taking things over right now I guess that don’t even try to pretend to be a good person.
She’s got a beach cleanup going on this weekend. From what I’ve heard, she’s been at every event she’s hosted and she’s actually out there getting dirty. I’m not in her district but it’s not far from me. I might go just to see how it all works.
Definitely not normal, excellent. I wish I was closer to IL, I kinda want to see for myself as well.
She just started a discord server to organize volunteer work. Katforillinois.com I guess. Haven’t checked it out myself but just saw it.
My to do list is a mile long so idk if I’m gonna be able to go but I wanna!
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At least it’s a better platform than “Everything is that other groups fault, let’s hate on them and be angry!” that s eems a bit too common.
Yeah you’re not wrong and it’s not like I have any suggestions or solutions either.
If by grassroots you mean suspiciously funded by 80% out of district and living off her rich republican parents money to do it
You seem to be literally the only one who is saying this …
… If you had some type of proof we’d be willing to see it
Here’s proof. Basically entirely outside funding.
It’s interesting how no one else is saying easily findable information.
Minor Internet Influencer uses minor internet influence to raise funds for campaign.
No mention of her parents was made in the article linked.
, yes, I didn’t make the claim that her parents donated to the campaign
Why are you upvoted
because they’re not pissing all over someone doing some fucking good for a change.
Christ, you’re acting like joe rogan or pewdiepie or mrbeast or hawk tua girl are running.
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I think her tiktok audience doesn’t understand the actual issues at hand.
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who come from outside her district.
She’s from outside her own district. That’s the primary thing that shows her blatantly questionable goals. She lives in a challengeable district with a dem who should be taken out. And she chose to campaign in an entirely different one.
Yes, she’s very likely corrupt. She’s unemployed, runs a sketchy campaign with astroturfing and refuses to address in any AMAs why she’s moving to our district later and why she’s going straight for the highest seat in a district that isn’t hers.
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- Since when does temporary unemployment imply corruption?
It makes me question where she’s funding her lifestyle.
- Her campaign seems almost entirely social media and local charity work.
That’s bad. Real world efforts are necessary. Giving campaign funds to charity is sketchy at best when you’re showing it off to pretend you’re morally superior
She’s campaigning in a district where she will replace an 80 year old retiring progressive
Irrelevant as the 80 year is retiring anyways.
She has 200,000 followers which seems to have grown over time with several prominent videos.
So? Genuinely hilarious how irrelevant this point is.
- Not here to reduce a woman to her husband, just pointing out a cool fact and rock-solid evidence that she’s probably legit - she’s MARRIED TO THE CEO OF THE COMPANY THAT OWNS THE ONION?! The source of the Pultizer-worthy headline, " ’ No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens"?
I had not heard this. However, it will not change my viewpoint that she’s as this post demonstrates running an extremely questionable and too early campaign, as well as being an out of district plant by not even trying to have lived a real period of time in the district she’s planning to run in.
She lives in Chicago, is campaigning in Chicago
The vast majority of the district is out of Chicago. Also, she’s not campaigning in Chicago. She’s campaigning online.
By the way, anyone in the back: did you watch the goal posts move? Did you watch us move right along, without defending the first claims?
Any one of the points is enough to make her not worth voting for. Her being out of district alone is ridiculous. If she genuinely cared, she should be running for a district she actually lived in. You are blatantly ignoring how much an issue an out of district congressperson is. Pretending it doesn’t matter just because you like the vibes of the candidate. And it really is just that and nothing more, just vibes. She has zero lower experience in politics, no record, no evidence of capability.
Especially when she’s consistently astroturfing reddits, it makes me question where her actual in district relations are. If she even has any.
You don’t have kids do you?
no use for supposedly honest people if the system itself is corrupt.
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infiltrating capitalism to ‘defeat it from the inside’ is famously ineffective.
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yes. infiltrating capitalist institutions famously doesn’t work. we call those entrists.
i don’t care for lone wolf martyrs. be them entrists or shooters or bombers alike. those can be cathartic but this is it.
leftists organizing their own institutions is what historically works, and is a better use of talented people’s time and abilities.
and yes, it has worked in the US to give workers better wages, and famously the right for workers to have a weekend and the 8hour-maximum workday. entrism on the other hand never did much of anything.
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the new deal came about because of socialist pressure. thats also why it ain’t happening again, because there are barely any socialists in the us anymore.
grassroots support in response to the horrifying economic conditions
who was supporting grassroots work reform? thats right, the socialists. under the threat of violence. saying it was simply “grassroots support” whitewashes all the blood spilled to make it happen. it wasnt given by benevolent capitalists.
“centrist” (your words, not mine) - Frankin Delano Roosevelt
i literally said nothing about roosevelt or centrism in any of my responses to you. putting words in my mouth.
you are the one who should read a book, preferrably something not whitewashed by the CIA or something, cause holy shit.
Been on your side up to this point.
All those things about the new deal you pointed out are true in the abstract. Within context, all the most progressive wins of the new deal were compromises based on “saving capitalism from itself” under the pressure of activist and labor movements (much more radical and empowered than what we know) and the spectre of revolution.
It was activists and popular pressure (largely driven by communist and anarchist organizers) that advocated for these wins.
The powers that were didn’t do these things out of the kindness of their hearts. But it’s been too our benifit that fdr was willing to be won over in this way. Consider how he engaged with A Philip Randolph (who would later go on to be lead organizer for the March on Washington for jobs and justice) for further proof on his ability to be swayed.
Remember, the Bolshevic revolution happened not long ago at this point and was an ideological threat to capitalism. And the Spanish revolution had just happened and presented an even deeper ideological threat.
Tldr: there were popular movements domestically and external pressures abroad that made the concessions of the new deal necessary.
And again, generally agreed with you in this thread but your point here risks misrepresentation of the history of people power and agitation and how crucial it’s been to the few good things we know in this country.
She’s born in the same year as I am. That’s great!
Could Kat fix the backward ass US healthcare system and labor laws?
I wonder if once elected she would be able to get taxpayer dollars directed in such a way, or if this is activity mainly enabled by the freedom and increasingly unregulated campaign system of American politics.
We don’t need more Glusencamp-Perez or Fetterman types in office, but if this campaign actually translates into real, meaningful policy towards the hungry and homeless (if only in Illinois)? Can’t complain, though that feels unlikely in this environment.
Curious what your issues with glusencamp-perez are? I don’t live in her district, but seems like she represents her constituents fairly well for how politically split the district is…but again I’m not necessarily in the know.
She does in that she votes conservative and against the Democratic Party platform often. There was hope she would help further working class issues in deeper red territory but it has more resulted in supporting deep red social issues as a Democrat. (She helped block abortion and trans rights in the military under Biden, etc.)
Once you’re in place and have access to tax dollars instead of campaign funds, you get them spent on things by putting that community infrastructure into place.
One problem with that is they’re running for a collective position. In their campaign, they’re captain of their own ship. A congresswoman is more a crewmate. Greater power, but more divided.
One thing they would be able to do, though, is never stop campaigning. They’ll be less active, as a congresswoman, but the campaign pivots to next election (which, let’s be honest, that’s already the norm, there is no break from politics anymore), and that next election can be focused on on-the-ground community campaigning the entire time.
So, no, you won’t see the same level of activism with tax dollars, they don’t lead, but she and others that follow her can do good consistently with their position through campaign funds and fight for good in their government while that happens.
What elections are in March?
Primary elections for this congressional District seat and others will be held in March 2026.
My God we need to shorten campaign timelines.
Never heard of her before but she sounds cool as hell. Wishing her all the success!!
She’s a plant coming in from out of district with suspicious funding. She doesn’t deserve success
I wonder how much democrats spend on oppo research and messaging against progressives.
Dude. Are you fucking kidding me. She literally does astroturfing. And you’re accusing me of being one?
I’m always suspicious when people like you are up and down a thread talking shit about someone who seems to be genuinely trying to help.
Astroturfing would not leave as many comments as I am under one account. It would use a variety. You can easily search my username and see I have a very long history of using it, that should be sufficient proof to show I’m not an astroturfing person
So you say, yet here you are, up and down the thread talking shit about someone who seems to be genuinely trying to help.
If she genuinely wanted to help, I don’t believe the district in question was a good target. She basically chose a well held district with an uncorrupt representative and said “I’m going for this one” instead of a more corrupt or issue politician
I saw her political videos on TikTok. She would give explanations about the content that was aired on Fox N*** over the last little bit of time, coverage that you might have missed, and how things are being portrayed to its viewers. Her segments were very well done and very useful.
This candidate’s skills seem to be in communication and I’m glad they are using it for good.
I hope this inspires a new generation of politician candidates that put action ahead of the politics in their messaging, because I admit that action alone without messaging means no one hears the good work you are doing and gives free reign to culture war misinformation and billionaire funded hate campaigns.
It has worked. Here in Vancouver, we got a city councillor whose day job is a dishwasher, because of their progressive vision and their concrete action over rhetoric to help people in our communities. He and an anti-automobile candidate beat out the incumbent party’s cop candidate and the NIMBY candidates by a wide margin.
Kat Abughazaleh is her name.
How do you pronounce it??
You can tell she’s to the left of the incumbent because her name doesn’t appear in the headline.
The incumbent is retiring. There will be no incumbent.
Also worth noting she’s running for congress in Illinios
Specifically, IL-9, against the incumbent democrat, whose name is “Kat Abughazaleh’s opponent.”
She’s not running against the incumbent, no. Jan is retiring after this cycle. She’ll be running against a fresh slate
Kat’s great, but her opposition to traditional Democratic politics is going to tank her campaign. The Democrats only want old, rich
conservativescentrists.It is nice to see at least one Democrat who’s doing some real good, though.
I like to think the tides are slowly, but gradually, turning as more people realize how useless the democrats have been. I hope there will be more candidates like Kat showing up everywhere soon
There’s a part of me that wants to be optimistic, but this is America.
I like to think the tides are slowly, but gradually, turning as more people realize how useless the democrats have been.
Yeah, I noticed it as well ever since Chuck Schumer rubber stamped the Republican budget bill-- which would disenfranchise millions of Americans from Medicare cuts-- without offering much resistance. Even some of the die-hard centrist Democrats here in Lemmy seem to sobering up as well. But hopefully my observation isn’t just contained in social media and my information circle, but the also throughout the US.
An out of district plant is not great
Her videos and work at media matters are excellent as well.
This is HORRIBLE! We NEED to Make Sure this Person FEEDING THE POOR LOSES!
-Chuck Schumer and the DNC!
That right there is a beautiful woman
Shit no kidding inside and out
