A Democratic congressional hopeful and progressive favorite apologized after sleeping through a 7 p.m. campaign event, blaming a flare-up of narcolepsy that left her unable to attend.
Kat Abughazaleh, who is running in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in 2026, was scheduled to appear Tuesday at an event hosted by the progressive group Indivisible in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood.
The Media Matters for America alum is one of several Democrats vying to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who has represented the safely blue district since 1999. Abughazaleh has drawn attention in a crowded primary through a strong social media presence and favorable coverage from far-left outlets.
The Intercept ran a glowing December profile headlined “Kat Abughazaleh Thinks Campaign Funds Should Help Feed People.” The Advocate published a positive feature on her the same day as the Indivisible event titled “How Democratic candidate and influencer Kat Abughazaleh is taking on America’s rising far right.”
But Abughazaleh never showed up.
In an apology posted afterward, she thanked members of Indivisible Edgewater “for all their work in our community to stand up and fight back against this regime.”
“Earlier this evening, I was scheduled to attend a Forum with members. And then I didn’t show up,” she wrote.
Kat Abughazaleh is responding this evening with a statement after missing a candidate forum hosted by Indivisible Edgewater, citing narcolepsy and her sleeping through the event
Here’s a statement from her sent to attendees pic.twitter.com/YNIZIogUB3
— Matthew Eadie (@mattheweadie22) January 21, 2026
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies as well as an explanation. I have a chronic illness called narcolepsy. It makes me extremely tired and occasionally causes ‘sleep attacks,’ times when my brain literally cannot stay awake,” she said.
“My condition is usually well-managed but, like with any disability, has flare-ups and today was one of those. I ended up sleeping through alarms, calls, and even my campaign manager knocking on my door repeatedly.”
Abughazaleh said it was “not an excuse,” but a chance “to be transparent and also stress that I would love to talk with those of you with questions.”
“We are trying to set up a time for another forum,” she added. “Once again, I am so sorry and, to be honest, very embarrassed.”
Some supporters on social media praised the response. “tbh i think this level of authenticity is very valuable. Simultaneous honesty of one’s circumstance and recognition of the impacts it still has on others. Im not in Kat’s district, but as a disabled person, this reinforces why I support her,” one commenter wrote.
Others were less forgiving. Matthew Eadie of Evanston Now, who is covering the race, noted Abughazaleh had been in Los Angeles the day before for a livestream with far-left Twitch personality Hasan Piker. She has also faced criticism from opponents who say her campaign schedule is unrealistically packed.
Eadie reported that Abughazaleh was also slated to appear on a livestream about events in Venezuela the same night as the Edgewater forum and missed that appearance as well.
“I asked the campaign a few times if she was in LA for any other reason, and I haven’t gotten a response,” Eadie wrote.
Abughazaleh, who has largely abandoned X in favor of Instagram and Bluesky, has otherwise stayed quiet about the missed events beyond her initial apology.
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