Feigenholtz Gets a Primary Challenge
Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Another longtime liberal lawmaker is getting a challenge from the left.
Nick Uniejewski, a former staffer for former Congresswoman Marie Newman, announced Tuesday he’s challenging Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) in a Democratic primary next month.
Uniejewski is currently a policy analyst for the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services.
“The incumbent has spent 30 years in office and is not the fighter we need for the future,” he said in his campaign announcement. “We need a new generation of leadership to help renters and homebuyers, modernize our transit systems, and build a future focused on equity, justice, and caring for our neighbors.”
He attacked Feigenholtz as “Islamaphobic” for a social media post that amplified a Muslim critic. Feigenholtz apologized for the post.
“Right now, we have a president who pits people against each other and encourages hate and division and an incumbent Senator who has faced numerous calls for her resignation because of her frequent racist and Islamophobic remarks,” he said. “We deserve better. We, as Democrats, can not expect to escape the mess our party is in by electing people who seek to divide rather than unite.”
Another longtime progressive north shore politician, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) recently picked up a challenger from the left, too.
Feigenholtz was elected to the House in 1994 before being appointed to the Senate in 2020. She hasn’t announced whether she’s seeking re-election next year and couldn’t be reached late last night.
Feigenholtz’s district stretches from the Gold Coast to Ravenswood in Chicago and includes Wrigley Field.