State election officials dismissed a challenge against Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh on Tuesday, confirming her spot on the March 17 primary ballot for the 9th District seat.
The objection was filed in November by Max Rice, who previously ran as the Republican nominee for the seat against incumbent U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Rice appeared to claim that either Abughazaleh or her petition signers weren’t registered to vote at their listed addresses, though he did not specify how many or which specific parts of the paperwork were invalid.
An attorney for Abughazaleh moved to dismiss the challenge due to it lacking information required under state law, including Rice’s address, details on what he specifically objected to and what action he wanted the State Officers Electoral Board to take, such as disqualifying Abughazaleh from the ballot.
A state hearing officer agreed, finding on Dec. 3 that a review of Rice’s handwritten objection “clearly establishes” it as invalid under state requirements, and the electoral board affirmed this finding Tuesday morning, dismissing the objection and certifying Abughazaleh’s candidacy. Abughazaleh confirmed in a written statement that the ruling “reaffirmed that my name will be on the ballot.”
Rice told the RoundTable in a phone call that he “doesn’t take the board very seriously” and that the electoral process only benefits “rich and incumbent candidates.” He reportedly works as a spokesperson for Republican candidate Rocío Cleveland, who disrupted a November candidate forum in Northbrook with Abughazaleh by trying to give her a prison “care package,” in reference to the felony charges she and five others currently face for protesting federal immigration agents in Broadview.
Abughazaleh is one of 17 Democrats running to represent the 9th District, which extends from Chicago’s far North Side neighborhoods out to Crystal Lake in McHenry County. Mail ballots will be sent out starting Thursday, Feb. 5, and early voting will begin Monday, March 2 ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, March 17. Primary winners will advance to the general midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
See more RoundTable coverage of the primaries on our 2026 elections landing page.
