As progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh stepped onto a stage following her loss in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District Democratic primary race Tuesday evening, chants of “We love you, Kat!” filled up Replay Andersonville, the bar hosting her campaign’s election watch party.

The Associated Press called the race for Mayor Daniel Biss at 9:36 p.m.

The watch party capped off Abughazaleh’s almost year-long campaign, which gained national attention for her unapologetically anti-authoritarian, anti-establishment platform.

“I don’t know if you heard, but we didn’t win, and it really f—king sucks. We came really close,” Abughazaleh told the crowd, adding her performance was “something that no one in power even expected would be possible at all.”

Abughazaleh said her campaign overcame the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the country, “dark money smear campaigns” and institutional power that were “tipping the scales” against the 9th District newcomer.

“We made them use their entire arsenal, s—t we’ve never even seen before, just to beat us,” she said.

Abughazaleh extended tearful gratitude to her volunteers and campaign staff, which they returned with heart-shaped hand gestures. 

She then urged attendees to continue the work her campaign began, reflecting on their efforts to organize a mutual aid hub at her campaign headquarters, canvass throughout the district and stage phone banking that “wouldn’t stop.”

“I need to stress to every single person in this room that this does not mean that the last year has been for nothing,” Abughazaleh said.

From hosting a punk-rock show at a bar in Wrigleyville to performing a stand-up routine at a Northwestern student-run comedy club, her unconventional campaign strategies stood out for many young voters.

She said that moving forward, “no matter how hard,” attendees must support progressive candidates “all over the country” who are also taking chances in the polls.

“We have to send a message to this administration, anyone who enables it — and I’m talking directly to them right now — you and your jobs are not safe,” Abughazaleh said. “This is the start and not the end. We are not tolerating the status quo.”

The 26-year-old added that regardless of Tuesday’s outcome, she would spend “every single waking moment” holding the Trump administration accountable. 

At the end of her speech, Abughazaleh left her supporters with familiar calls against authoritarianism. 

“I f—king meant it, and I know all of you do too. So thank you for supporting us,” she said. “I’m sorry that this sucks, but f—k Trump, f—k ICE, free Palestine.”

While disappointed, attendees, campaign staff and friends emphasized the significance of Abughazaleh’s campaign. 

Ninth Ward resident and campaign volunteer Lenny Lamkin, who has volunteered for the campaign since January, said he saw a lot of support for Abughazaleh after knocking on doors in Evanston’s 5th Ward.

“Win or lose, we built a movement, and that’s important,” Lamkin said. “If the young people and the other folks who’ve gotten involved in the campaign stay involved, we can change politics on the North Shore.”

Fellow volunteer and Rogers Park resident Christo Stefan said he used vacation time last week to take off work and campaign for Abughazaleh, whom he learned about through her reporting on far-right extremism for Media Matters for America.

Sharing Lamkin’s sentiments about the importance of young people’s involvement, Stefan lamented that the 9th Congressional District seat will be filled by “another middle-aged white man.” 

Scott Blue, one of Abughazaleh’s friends who supported outreach coordination for the campaign, noted that battling pushback intended to “disparage and mischaracterize” Abughazaleh has been “a mixed bag of emotions,” but that he is “deeply proud” of her work.

“A lot of who Kat is today is who she was when I first met her: Someone who cares deeply about connecting with people,” he said. “Really trying to deprogram people from not only an extremist right-wing thought process, but also letting the average person know they deserve better — that their government is there to serve.”

For SESP senior Shayna Tribush, a Cats for Kat campus fellow, Tuesday night signified the culmination of an almost year-long campaign, knowing they “left it all on the field,” she said.

No matter the results, Tribush said she hopes future candidates and elected officials learn from Abughazaleh’s unique campaign strategies. She pointed to Abughazaleh’s protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois and her campaign office’s mutual aid hub.

“I want more people to have that expectation for their candidates, that they should actually, tangibly be helping the community they’re running in before they are elected,” she said.

For Abughazaleh herself, the fight isn’t over. 

“We are not done,” she said. “Every single loss like this one just makes the path easier for the next person who takes the same chance.”

Email:  [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Related Stories: 

— ‘I didn’t want to wait’: Kat Abughazaleh looks to upset congressional status quo 

— Abughazaleh courts student voters at the Prattic, pokes fun at critics 

— The Open Seat: Cats for Kat campus fellows discuss Kat Abughazaleh’s student mobilization group