Democrat blames narcolepsy for snoozing through congressional candidate forum



WASHINGTON — She’s too sleepy to be woke.

Lefty congressional hopeful Kat Abughazaleh copped to snoozing through a virtual forum run by the George Soros-funded Indivisible Project, sleeping through multiple alarms and panicked knocks from her campaign manager.

The 26-year-old influencer pledged to reschedule her appearance, implying that she won’t oversleep next time, while claiming that narcolepsy-induced “sleep attacks” got the best of her.

“I ended up sleeping through alarms, calls, and even my campaign manager knocking on my door repeatedly,” Abughazaleh admitted in a statement. “This is not an excuse, but I wanted to be transparent.”

“Once again, I am so sorry and — to be honest — very embarrassed.”

Kat Abughazaleh apologized for sleeping through the forum with grassroots progressive activists. REUTERS
Sparse polling has pegged Kat Abughazaleh as a formidable candidate for the Illinois 9th congressional district Democratic primary. Eileen T Meslar/TNS via ZUMA Press Wire / Shutterstock

Abughazaleh, an alumna of Media Matters, a liberal group that studies and attacks conservative news outlets, is running in the crowded Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.)

She praised the Indivisible activists in Illinois’ Edgewater Community for fighting “back against this regime,” referring to the Trump administration.

The aspiring congresswoman opened up about her struggles with narcolepsy, which results in extreme sleepiness at random times.

“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 explained.

“My condition is usually well-managed but — like with any disability — has flare-ups and today was one of those.”

She also expressed regret for failing to communicate with the organizers about her missing the forum, adding that “I can’t stress enough how sorry I am for this complete surprise.”

Participants in the forum had been expecting Kat Abughazaleh to show up. Chicago Asian Network

The lefty Zoomer congressional hopeful had previously disclosed her narcolepsy diagnosis on social media in 2024.

Abughazaleh has a reputation for her rowdy activist tactics that have elevated her to progressive stardom.

Last year, she was indicted for allegedly hampering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle movements around a facility in Broadview, Illinois, during a September 2025 protest.

If she’s found guilty, Abughazaleh could face six years behind bars for conspiracy charges and eight years for assaulting an ICE officer.

The bombastic influencer is accused of scrawling the word “PIG” on an ICE officer’s vehicle.

She has pleaded not guilty and ripped the charge as an “attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up.”

Footage from last year also showed Abughazaleh getting thrown to the pavement when protesting near an ICE facility.

Kat Abughazaleh was brutally thrown to the ground during a protest last September. X/Kat Abughazaleh

The primary in Abughazaleh’s congressional contest is slated for March 17. Illinois’ 9th congressional district is widely seen as a safely Democratic-leaning seat.



Source link

Related Posts