By Bob Seidenberg
Mayor Daniel Biss announced his intention Wednesday to run for the 9th District Congressional seat, highlighting his ability to win tough fights in his opening message, including some “big ones” as mayor.
In a one-and-a-half-minute video, Biss said he is running “because we need Democrats who won’t flinch, who won’t fold, won’t forget what we’re fighting for. Let’s be real, people gave up on government because they saw politicians from both parties give up on them. That’s how Trump win and the rest of us lose.
“But here’s the thing,” he continued, “I’ve never backed out from the fight as legislator or as mayor. I’ve won some big ones. I’ve taken on big corporations and delivered economic security for working families. I’ve passed bold climate solutions over entrenched opposition, and I beat the right wing extremists to protect abortion rights. Because guess what? The only way out of today’s crisis is to reverse the behavior that got us here in the first place, instead of resigning ourselves to the idea that nothing can really change, that this whole situation is inevitable.
“We need to fight for real solutions to our toughest problems, and we need to build the movement and the vision to show the world what it looks like when we build the future we actually deserve.”
The mayor’s announcement came just several weeks after a decisive win for a second term as mayor April 1.
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who has represented the Ninth District since 1998, announced May 5 that she would not be seeking another term next year, opening up the seat.
Sen. Laura Fine, of Glenview and Katherine (Kat) Abughazaleh, a journalist and social media influencer, previous announced their intention to run for the seat.