Daniel Kálmán Biss is a Jewish American mathematician and Democratic politician elected in November 2026 to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He succeeded retiring Representative Jan Schakowsky. He previously served in both chambers of the Illinois legislature and as mayor of Evanston.
Born in Akron, Ohio, in 1977, Biss grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where his parents taught music at Indiana University. He graduated from Harvard University in 1998 and earned a doctorate in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002. He subsequently taught at the University of Chicago before moving into politics.
Biss’s Jewish identity and connection to Israel stem from his family history. His mother is Israeli, and his maternal grandmother survived Auschwitz. His maternal grandparents settled in Herzliya after the Holocaust, and much of his extended family remains in Israel. He grew up speaking Hebrew, held Israeli citizenship when younger, and spent childhood summers in Israel. As an undergraduate, he also studied at Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Opposition to the Iraq War helped draw Biss into political activism. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 and the state Senate from 2013 to 2019. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018. Elected mayor of Evanston in 2021 and reelected in 2025, he resigned effective October 18, 2026. His legislative and municipal priorities included retirement savings, abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, campaign finance reform, and reducing building emissions.
Biss won the March 17, 2026, Democratic congressional primary, defeating a crowded field that included Palestinian American commentator Kat Abughazaleh and state Senator Laura Fine. He received endorsements from Schakowsky and Senator Elizabeth Warren. His congressional campaign advocated Medicare for All, stronger labor protections, more affordable housing, and resistance to the Trump administration. He defeated Republican John Elleson in the November general election.
Biss has described himself as a “progressive Zionist” and supports a two-state solution, but has become a sharp critic of Israeli policy and unconditional American military assistance. He backed the Block the Bombs Act, restrictions on offensive weapons shipments to Israel, and American recognition of a Palestinian state. An early campaign position paper also endorsed continued assistance under the 2016 U.S.–Israel Memorandum of Understanding and expanded Iron Dome funding. Despite criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, he declined to characterize the war as genocide during the primary.
His relationship with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee became a campaign controversy. In January 2026, Jewish Insider reported that he had sought AIPAC’s support before launching his candidacy. Biss denied soliciting or being willing to accept its backing, while acknowledging meetings with its representatives and sharing a position paper. Groups and donors aligned with AIPAC subsequently spent heavily to support Fine and oppose Biss, who made opposition to the organization a prominent campaign theme.
Biss also reversed his position on Illinois’ anti-BDS legislation. As a state senator in 2015, he voted for a law prohibiting public pension systems from investing in companies that boycott Israel or Israeli-controlled territories. In April 2026, he supported its repeal, arguing that government should not penalize peaceful political activity through investment restrictions. He emphasized that he personally opposed the global boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel.
His handling of Northwestern University’s 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment became another point of contention. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticized his refusal, as Evanston mayor, to provide police assistance requested by the university amid reports of anti-Semitic conduct. Biss defended the decision, saying that forcibly clearing the encampment would have contradicted police advice and infringed protected speech.
Following his congressional victory, ADL Midwest publicly criticized his approach to anti-Semitism, citing the Northwestern controversy, his anti-BDS position, and rhetoric surrounding AIPAC. Biss responded by accusing the organization of promoting fear and intimidation rather than protecting Jewish people. J Street, which supported his campaign, defended him and criticized the ADL’s intervention.
Biss lives in Evanston with his wife, Karin, a former Peace Corps volunteer and professor at National Louis University, and their two children.
Sources: “Daniel K. Biss,” Ballotpedia.
Robert Herguth, “Gov hopeful Daniel Biss: Faith that fuels divisiveness is ‘dead wrong’,” Chicago Sun-Times, (March 7, 2018).
“Meet Daniel,” Daniel Biss for Congress.
“City Announces Mayoral Transition Information,” City of Evanston.
“Daniel Biss: Candidate for U.S. House — 9th District,” WTTW News.
Heather Cherone, “Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss Announces Bid to Replace US Rep. Jan Schakowsky,” WTTW News, (May 15, 2025).
Marc Rod, “Daniel Biss sought AIPAC’s support before turning against Israel in congressional bid, sources say,” Jewish Insider, (January 20, 2026).
Daniel Biss, “A Note on AIPAC,” Daniel Biss for Congress, (January 23, 2026).
Elena Moore, “Daniel Biss wins Democratic primary for closely-watched Illinois House seat,” NPR, (March 17, 2026).
Daniel Biss, “A note on Illinois’ anti-BDS law repeal effort,” Daniel Biss for Congress, (April 30, 2026).
Hannah Feuer, “This grandson of Holocaust survivors is headed to Congress. The ADL has concerns about his antisemitism record,” Forward, (November 4, 2026).
Andrew Lapin, “‘Traffics in fear’: Jewish congressman-elect Daniel Biss blasts ADL after election night criticism,” Jerusalem Post, (November 5, 2026).
Photo: Paul Goyett, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.