Early Life and Education of Kat Abughazaleh: A Complete Timeline

An overview of the childhood and early education of Kat Abughazaleh, highlighting the experiences that shaped the journey.

Kat Abughazaleh, also known as Kat Abu, is an American journalist, social media influencer, and political commentator. She is known for her critique of Tucker Carlson while at Media Matters for America. Her writing has been featured in publications like Mother Jones and The New Republic. In 2025, she announced her candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois's 9th congressional district.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1948: Grandparents Flee Palestine

In 1948, during the Palestine war, Kat Abughazaleh's paternal grandparents, Taher Abughazaleh and his wife, fled from Jerusalem to Kuwait after surviving the Nakba.

March 24, 1999: Katherine Abughazaleh's Birth

On March 24, 1999, Katherine Marie Abughazaleh, known as Kat Abu, was born. She later became a social media influencer and political commentator.

Others born on this day/year

1999: Jan Schakowsky Elected

In 1999, Jan Schakowsky, a Democrat, was elected to represent Illinois's 9th congressional district, a position she held until Kat Abughazaleh decided to run for the seat.

2004: Grandmother Becomes President of Texas Federation of Republican Women

In 2004, Taffy Goldsmith, Kat Abughazaleh's maternal grandmother, became president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women.

2005: Grandmother Serves as President of Texas Federation of Republican Women

In 2005, Taffy Goldsmith continued her service as president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women.

2014: Service on Girl Scouts Board Begins

In 2014, Kat Abughazaleh began serving on the board of directors of an Arizona Girl Scouts organization.

2016: Endorsement of Marco Rubio

In 2016, while at Salpointe Catholic High School, Kat Abughazaleh wrote an editorial in her student newspaper endorsing Marco Rubio in the Republican primary.

2017: Service on Girl Scouts Board Ends

In 2017, Kat Abughazaleh concluded her service on the board of directors of an Arizona Girl Scouts organization.

2018: Daniel Biss's Gubernatorial Primary

In early May, after Schakowsky's announcement, Daniel Biss, the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary runner-up, announced his candidacy.

2018: Organizing Administrator for Everytown For Gun Safety

In the summer of 2018, Kat Abughazaleh served as Northeast Region Organizing Administrator for Everytown For Gun Safety.

2020: Graduation from George Washington University

In 2020, Kat Abughazaleh graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor's degree in international affairs.

August 2022: Spiked Drink Incident

In August 2022, Kat Abughazaleh drank a spiked drink in Washington, D.C., causing her to black out. Her tweets about the experience led to news coverage on symptoms of nonconsensual drugging.

January 2023: Starts TikTok Account

In January 2023, Kat Abughazaleh started a TikTok account, where she covered Tucker Carlson and his show.

April 2023: Online Harassment

By April 2023, some of Kat Abughazaleh's posts on Twitter had gone viral, and she faced online harassment by conservative commentators and right-wing users. She collated screenshots of the harassing messages.

May 2024: Named Political Influencer and Layoff

In May 2024, Kat Abughazaleh was named on The New Republic's list of "25 Political Influencers to Watch in 2024". She and 11 colleagues were also laid off from Media Matters following a lawsuit by Elon Musk.

July 2024: Social Media Following

By July 2024, Kat Abughazaleh had nearly 500,000 social media followers across TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.

July 2024: Move to Chicago

In July 2024, Kat Abughazaleh and her partner, Ben Collins, moved to Chicago, Illinois, due to Collins' new role as CEO of The Onion.

July 24, 2024: Hired by Mother Jones

On July 24, 2024, Mother Jones announced that they hired Kat Abughazaleh as a video creator to produce content on democracy, far-right media, disinformation, and radicalization. She also joined Zeteo.

August 2024: DNC Participation

In August 2024, Kat Abughazaleh was invited to cover the Democratic National Convention as a content creator. She participated in an Uncommitted sit-in and interviewed Ro Khanna.

September 2024: Politico Highlights TikTok Prominence

In September 2024, Politico highlighted Kat Abughazaleh's prominence on TikTok and predicted her account would play an outsized role in the last 50 days of the presidential race.

March 2025: Abughazaleh Announces Congressional Campaign

In March 2025, Kat Abughazaleh announced her campaign for the United States House of Representatives in Illinois's 9th congressional district.

March 24, 2025: Abughazaleh Announces Congressional Run

On March 24, 2025, Kat Abughazaleh announced her candidacy in the Democratic primary election for Illinois's 9th congressional district seat.

May 2025: Potential Congressional Firsts

As of May 2025, it was noted that if elected, Kat Abughazaleh would be the youngest woman, the first Gen Z woman, and the second Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress.

September 2025: Incident at ICE Detention Facility

In September 2025, Kat Abughazaleh was thrown to the ground by an ICE Agent during a protest at an ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. She suffered minor injuries.

October 2025: Indictment Following Protest

In October 2025, Kat Abughazaleh was indicted for allegedly hindering a federal agent during the September protest. She called the indictment a political prosecution.

2025: Condemnation and Security Measures

In 2025, Kat Abughazaleh condemned violent acts and hired private security after vandalism and accusations of supporting Hezbollah.

2025: Campaign Contributions and Challenger

In the first week of the campaign in 2025, contributions totaled over $378,000. In mid-April, David Abrevaya became a second challenger in the primary.

2026: Target Year for Re-election

In March 2025, Jan Schakowsky had not yet announced whether she would seek re-election in 2026.

2026: Schakowsky Announces Retirement

In early May, 2026, Jan Schakowsky announced that she would retire at the conclusion of her term. Following the announcement, other candidates joined the race.