A Populist Influencer Is Working for Congress, and Really Understands YouTube

Journalist and influencer Kat Abughazaleh introduced she’s working for Congress in a YouTube video. In a video that regarded extra like a livestream than an announcement of a bid for workplace, Abughazaleh promised to run a clear marketing campaign, combat for inexpensive groceries, and stand as much as authoritarians.

Abughazaleh is working in Illinois’ ninth district, which covers the north facet of Chicago and a few of its suburbs. She’ll try to unseat Democratic incumbent and celebration stalwart Jan Schakowsky, who’s 81 and has held her seat since 1999.

“I say it’s time to drop the justifications and develop a fucking backbone,” Abughazaleh mentioned in her announcement video. “We want a imaginative and prescient that’s greater than what we’ve been advised is feasible. There’s completely no cause you shouldn’t have the ability to afford housing, groceries, and healthcare with some cash leftover. Households ought to have free childcare. Social safety ought to be expanded, and our inalienable rights shouldn’t be depending on who’s in energy. Meaning standing as much as authoritarians, not shrinking away when the combat will get powerful.”

It’s apparent the video was made for a younger viewers by an individual who grew up utilizing social media. It’s obtained the aesthetic of a streamer: full with floating mic arm, clear and centered prime quality digital camera, baked in subtitles, and competent modifying that helped Abughazaleh emphasize her factors.

Abughazaleh has been making movies on-line for years. She labored for Media Issues the place she critiqued and dissected proper wing media and speaking factors. She’s additionally produced videos for Mom Jones.

In 2023, Media Issues published an investigation revealing how advertisers on X typically had content material seem subsequent to Nazi propaganda. Advertisers fled the platform. Musk sued the corporate for defamation in Texas and the case continues to be ongoing. The corporate then laid off workers, together with Abughazaleh, saying it couldn’t pay its authorized payments and its staff on the similar time.

In her Congressional announcement, Abughazaleh mentioned she knew methods to combat folks like Musk. “Just some months in the past, Elon Musk’s legal professionals deposed me right here in Chicago to ask about my imply tweets,” she mentioned. Within the months after leaving Media Issues, she’s produced movies independently on YouTube and TikTok the place she has 217 thousand followers.

I summarized Elon Musk’s takeover of our authorities in 70 seconds: pic.twitter.com/XMpCmZ7smD

— Kat Abughazaleh (@abughazalehkat) February 17, 2025

When Chuck Schumer bowed to Congressional Republicans within the funds combat, he referred to as it technique. Constituents learn it as weak spot. As Musk and Trump rampage by way of the federal authorities and assault social safety, voters are searching for anybody keen to combat. The Democrats, particularly the outdated line, appear to be laying down. Even amidst a backlash towards Trump, the celebration has seen shrinking ballot numbers and increased unfavorability scores.

“What if we didn’t suck?” Abughazaleh mentioned within the video saying her run. “All of us deserve higher. We deserve human rights and monetary freedom and a celebration that stands as much as authoritarians.”

Schakowsky has her own YouTube channel the place she posts clips of her talking on the ground of Congress, media hits, and direct-to-camera addresses to constituents. A March 13 video about her plans for the longer term is a putting distinction to Abughazaleh’s announcement. The colour steadiness is off and the lighting is dangerous, the Capitol looms within the background, and the modifying seems to cowl errors as a substitute serving to Schakowsky emphasize her speaking factors. She additionally bragged that Rachel Maddow had talked about her on TV.

“I used to be at Daley Plaza to guard science,” Schakowsky mentioned within the video. “Rachel Maddow additionally talked about that I had been there. I’m going to proceed to simply to point out up and I might welcome you to affix me. We now have to be seen. We now have to be loud. We now have to be able to combat.”

This isn’t the primary time somebody has tried to make use of social media stardom to launch a political profession. After years of battling poisonous avid gamers on-line, sport developer Brianna Wu ran for Congress in 2018 and 2020. She misplaced each occasions. In 2022, accredited doctor and podcast host Sydnee McElroy efficiently received the Democratic main for a Congressional seat in West Virginia however misplaced the race towards a Republican incumbent.

The distinction right here is that Wu and McElroy had different careers and used social media followings in an try to achieve political energy. Abughazaleh is a digital native who has spent years posting and combating the ring wing on-line, and sometimes profitable. She’s recognized primarily for her political content material. Time will inform if that may translate into electoral victory.

On March 6, The New York Instances reported that lawmakers are scared of Trump and the web military he instructions. “Each disinfo reporter/ researcher I do know (together with myself) has been the goal of imply tweets and even authorized motion by Elon Musk,” Abughazaleh mentioned in a post on BlueSky responding to the story.

“Frankly, this can be a talent difficulty.”