Sporting navy campaign buttons and holding signs, supporters of State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) filled The Glen Club’s ballroom in Glenview, Illinois on Tuesday evening. 

After eagerly awaiting the results of the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, as it became apparent that Mayor Daniel Biss would prevail, they gathered in front of the stage for the state senator’s concession speech. With 93% of ballots counted as of 11:49 p.m. Tuesday, Fine took 20.3% of the vote share, trailing Biss’ 29.4% and progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh’s 26.1%, according to the AP. 

Shortly after 9 p.m., former State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg took the stage to address the crowd. Schoenberg said he first met Fine when she shadowed former State Sen. Susan Garrett, who sat next to him on the floor of the Illinois Senate, 15 years ago. 

He recalled being immediately impressed by Fine and subsequently encouraging her to run for higher office. 

“Laura Fine showed all of us the very qualities that we grow to expect from the people who we ask to lead us,” Schoenberg said.

However, he told Fine’s supporters Tuesday evening, her congressional campaign had “run out of time.” 

Then, the candidate herself entered the room to a wave of applause, taking the stage with her family. One of Fine’s sons, Jeremy, spoke about his mother’s hands-on advocacy as a policymaker. 

Fine stepped up to the microphone, urging the district’s Democrats to “get together and get behind (Biss) and make sure that he does succeed.” Fine added she had already called the mayor to congratulate him on his victory. 

Just after 9:30 p.m., the Associated Press called the race for Biss.

“We are going to move forward, and we are going to move forward together,” Fine said. “Rain couldn’t stop us, cold couldn’t stop us. Nothing can stop us, and we are going to continue until we defeat Donald Trump.”

For the last 13 years, Fine has represented Evanston and surrounding municipalities in the Illinois General Assembly. In May, Fine announced her candidacy to fill retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s (D-Evanston) seat.

To supporters, Fine’s legislative record was a testament to her potential as a federal lawmaker, with many pointing to her work on regulatory and insurance issues. Several also noted her support of Israel as an important policy point.

Glenview resident Shiva Mohsenzadeh said she worked for Fine for seven-and-a-half years, responding to constituent correspondence and working on legislation.

Referencing that time, Mohsenzadeh said she’s seen firsthand Fine’s “passion for public service and for truly doing what is good for her constituents.”

“She wasn’t there ever for her ego. She never sought the limelight,” Mohsenzadeh said. “I am really sad to see that a true public servant who has 13 and a half years of impeccable legislative record doesn’t win because she’s the most qualified.”

Fine was at the center of controversy as the congressional race drew national attention for reported outside spending. Notably, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation’s largest pro-Israel lobbying group, funneled almost $22 million into Democratic congressional primary races across Illinois through shell PACs like Elect Chicago Women and Chicago Progressive Partnership. 

Just one week after the ECW’s creation, the group spent at least $285,000 on Feb. 3 to air its first pro-Fine TV ads. According to POLITICO, AIPAC had poured more than $4 million into TV ads and mailers in support of her campaign by Tuesday.

AIPAC first publicly acknowledged its involvement in the race in a Tuesday night X post, writing the organization was “disappointed that Laura Fine did not prevail.”

Fine’s brother-in-law, Ken Fine, told The Daily that campaign finance has changed since he was growing up, noting the costly nature of making a bid for office.

“I feel like it’s almost a necessary evil sometimes,” Ken Fine said of outside spending. 

Responding to concerns about dark money, Mohsenzadeh described it as “the nature of our politics,” adding she hopes that Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that found independent expenditures by corporations are protected by the First Amendment, will be overturned. 

Until then, candidates who are not spending all of their time raising money will also need funds to stay competitive, Mohsenzadeh said.

“We can talk about people who send so much money to Kat from outside of the district, and Kat not even being from the district or from Illinois,” Mohsenzadeh said. “We can talk about Daniel Biss wanting to get at those outside monies and not being able to because he wasn’t trusted.”

People fail to consider whether a candidate has the experience to actually be a good legislator, Mohsenzadeh said, likening voters’ preferences to hiring “a carpenter to do an electrician’s work.”

She lamented that Democrats “tend to fall in love” with candidates whose personality and volume speak to people’s anger, rather than prioritizing legislative experience. 

Fine promised her crowd of supporters that she would be “a leader in the Democratic Party,” urging party unity to ensure a dominant performance in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.

“The fight’s not over,” Fine said. “We are going to continue to fight, and we are going to get our country back.”

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Bluesky: @yongyuhuang.bsky.social 

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