Few suburban Congressional candidates met financial disclosure deadline
Only three of the more than two dozen candidates for congressional seats serving the North, West or Northwest suburbs turned in federal financial disclosure reports by a May 15 deadline, a Daily Herald analysis revealed.
One, 9th District Democratic hopeful and internet personality Kat Abughazaleh, is a political newcomer whose campaign has received national media attention. The other two — Republicans Niki Conforti of the 6th District and Jim Marter of the 14th — are campaign veterans who lost previous bids for federal office.
Designed to reveal potential conflicts of interest, the disclosure reports detail information about the source, type and amount of a candidate's income, personal investments, spousal income, gifts, contracts and more. They’re published online at disclosures-clerk.house.gov.
New reports from the eight representatives serving the North, West or Northwest suburbs aren’t yet available for review. Most were granted extensions until August, records show.
Some — if not many — candidates may not have reached the $5,000 fundraising or spending threshold that requires filing.
Abughazaleh
A Chicago resident for less than a year, Abughazaleh is running in a district in which she doesn’t live and that Evanston Democrat Jan Schakowsky has represented since 1999. Schakowsky revealed this month she wouldn’t seek reelection.
Additional candidates include state Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, both Democrats.
In the eight days that followed her March campaign kickoff, Abughazaleh received nearly $379,000 from supporters, Federal Election Commission records show.
A former journalist specializing in political and media analysis, Abughazaleh has substantial social media followings under the name Kat Abu. According to her disclosure, most of her 2024 income came from Media Matters for America, a progressive watchdog organization that no longer employs her.
Abughazaleh reported additional income from TikTok, YouTube and the Patreon crowdfunding platform. She also listed freelance work for companies including the Foundation for National Progress, which until last year published Mother Jones magazine; Zeteo; and the advocacy group People for the American Way.
Abughazaleh’s report indicates she stopped monetizing her TikTok and YouTube accounts and ceased her journalism work before launching her candidacy. She told the Daily Herald she took those steps to avoid conflicts of interest and profiting from campaign-related social media content.
She also listed bank and retirement accounts as her assets.
No other 9th District candidate filed a disclosure report this month. The district includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.
Conforti
A Glen Ellyn resident, Conforti is making her third run at the 6th District seat held by Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove since 2019. Last November, Casten beat Conforti by 8 percentage points; she placed third in the 2022 GOP primary.
Conforti spent less than $151,000 on her 2024 campaign, a sum dwarfed by the roughly $2.4 million Casten spent.
The Conforti campaign ended the first quarter of this year with less than $9,800 in the bank. Casten ended the quarter with more than $947,000 saved.
Conforti reported income this year and last from consulting and from an unidentified employer. She didn’t respond to emails asking for more information about that job.
She listed bank, credit union and retirement accounts among her assets, and reported a partnership in a Palos Park limited liability company called Existential Matrix.
So far, Conforti and Casten are the only 6th District candidates. The district includes parts of Cook and DuPage counties.
Casten received an extension until August.
Marter
An Oswego resident whose four-year term on his local library board ends this week, Marter will make his sixth bid for federal office in 2026. Democratic incumbent Lauren Underwood of Naperville, who’s represented the 14th District since 2019 and is running again, beat Marter by 10 percentage points in November.
Marter spent $322,950 on his 2024 congressional campaign, a fraction of the nearly $3.9 million Team Underwood spent. His campaign ended the first quarter with about $5,500 saved, while Underwood ended the quarter with $1.1 million banked.
According to his report, Marter’s primary source of income is a global information technology company called Tenthpin Management Consultants. He previously had been a software consultant.
Marter reported bank and retirement accounts, life insurance policies and a coin collection among his assets.
Underwood received an extension until August. Earlville Democrat Roman Valenciano also is running but didn’t submit a report.
The 14th District includes parts of Kane, Will and five other counties.