Congressional Candidate Apologizes For Sleeping Through Campaign Forum

EVANSTON, IL — Congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh apologized to constituents this week after sleeping through a campaign event due to a medical condition.

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, Abughazaleh was scheduled to attend a candidate forum over Zoom at 7 p.m. The event was meant to provide voters with an opportunity to speak with candidates running for the 9th Congressional District.

According to Nick Rabkin with Indivisible Edgewater, which organized the event, about 65 people were logged on to the Zoom and waited about 20 minutes before the meeting was cut. Despite clear interest from attendees, who waited the whole 20 minutes, organizers said they were confused and disappointed that the candidate didn't show.

In a statement, Abughazaleh informed voters that she has narcolepsy, a condition that can cause people to fall asleep suddenly, according to the Mayo Clinic. Abughazaleh said her condition causes her to have occasional "sleep attacks."

"My condition is usually well-managed but — like with any disability — has flare-ups and today was one of those," Abughazaleh said. "I ended up sleeping through alarms, call, and even my campaign manager knocking on my door repeatedly."

Rabkin said Abughzaleh's staff communicated with Indivisible Edgewater shortly after the Zoom webinar was closed, apologizing and offering her explanation.

"Clearly, they did not anticipate that the narcolepsy would be a problem, so there was no reason to tell us she might not make it in advance," Rabkin told Patch.

Despite missing the event, Abughazaleh expressed her gratitude for the volunteers and members of Indivisible Edgewater for their work in the community. She said her team and the organization are working on setting up a time for another forum.

She encouraged anyone who wants to speak with her to reach out to her and her team at any time at hello@katforillinois.com.

"I am so sorry and — to be honest — very embarrassed. Thank you for wanting to hear from our campaign at all, and I hope that we can share our vision with you in the future," Abughazaleh said.

Indivisible Edgewater also held another forum for candidate Mike Simmons on Wednesday. Two additional candidate forums are scheduled for Daniel Biss on Feb. 10, and for Bushra Amiwala on Feb. 12.

Indivisible Edgewater requires people to RSVP to attend.