KAT'S OUT OF THE BAG

At 26 years old, Kat Abughazaleh thinks she's uniquely qualified for Congress. But running for office is a different sort of influencing.

- BY KATE KNIBBS

KAT ABUGHAZALEH KNOWS HOW to create viral moments online. She's an old pro, in fact, capable of posting clips of herself that can rack up millions of views. But engineering attention in the physical world is a decidedly different challenge one that Abughazaleh was struggling to solve on an overcast afternoon in July.

The 26-year-old, who is running for Congress in Illinois, was sitting outside her campaign headquarters in Chicago, trying to connect with prospective voters during the area's annual taco crawl. Some people were stopping to chat, but others hurried along in search of their next carnitas fix. On the internet, Abughazaleh can precision-edit a video to maximize eyeballs. On Clark Street, a busy thoroughfare that cuts across the city's northeastern neighborhoods, she had to convince people cruising for excellent Mexican food that she was worth delaying their next bite.

That day, at least, the solution was simple: hot sauce. Abughazaleh got a taste for the stuff growing up in Texas and never let go. She hauled out the collection of bottles she keeps in her office—many of them sent by a supporter—and lined up over a dozen on a table for pedestrians to douse their tacos. Within minutes, locals sloshing to-go margaritas in plastic cups stopped to pepper her with questions, like her stance on organized labor (pro), what her “main issue” is (“antiauthoritarianism”), and her thoughts on contemporary sci-fi and fantasy (Red Rising is superior to A Song of Ice and Fire). It seemed every other person had a friend who was a big fan. Supporters in cars honked periodically. With help from a volunteer who translated, Abughazaleh explained to a Spanish-speaking family that her office doubles as a mutual aid hub, stocked with free pantry items and open to “everyone except ICE.” They took campaign stickers.