Daniel Biss, serving as the mayor of Evanston, Illinois, acknowledged a past romantic involvement with a former undergraduate student while he was a postdoctoral instructor at the University of Chicago. This admission emerged just hours ahead of the critical Democratic primary election for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District.
The statement was released through a campaign representative following comments made by the former student, Megan Wachspress, now a lecturer at Stanford Law School. Biss’s team confirmed that their relationship began when Wachspress was a student in one of his courses.
In a public statement, a campaign spokesperson said, “In 2004, when Daniel was 26, he dated Dr. Wachspress, a 20-year-old student. They went on a few dates after her course ended, but Daniel acknowledged it was an ill-advised decision.”
Wachspress detailed their interactions in recent posts on Bluesky and a Substack article before the election. She noted that Biss provided her with significant attention during the course, which included invitations to social meetings after it ended.
Years later, during a professional reconnection regarding her work with the Sierra Club, she mentioned Biss offered an apology. “I realized the implications of such relationships—a power imbalance that can silence women’s voices in academia,” Wachspress remarked.
The admission coincided with a significant Democratic primary in an overwhelmingly blue district that includes several Chicago neighborhoods. Biss was in a competitive field, leading in polling but with a notable percentage of voters undecided.
Polling demonstrated Biss with a slender lead of 24 percent, closely followed by leftist candidate Kat Abughazaleh at 20 percent. Both candidates have participated in anti-ICE protests, which have raised legal issues for Abughazaleh.
State Senator Laura Fine and Mike Simmons trailed with 14 percent and 10 percent, respectively, while 17 percent remained undecided.
