Krishnamoorthi wins primary for seat vacated by Tammy Duckworth.
AB Wire
Indian American businessman from Schaumburg, Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, is likely to become a member of the US Congress come November, as he took the first giant step toward that goal by winning the Democratic nomination in a Chicago-area congressional district over a suburban mayor and state legislator.
The race in the 8th district was an open primary after U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth opted for a chance to replace Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk over re-election, reported the AP. Krishnamoorthi headed into Tuesday’s open primary with name recognition, high-profile endorsements and a fundraising advantage.
He lost a congressional primary bid to Duckworth in 2012. He’s a former Illinois deputy state treasurer who runs a research and development lab.
Also running were Villa Park Village President Deb Bullwinkel and Sen. Michael Noland. The district covers northwestern Chicago suburbs.
Krishnamoorthi says he wants to protect Social Security and Medicare along with passing “common-sense” gun laws. He narrowly lost a 2010 primary bid for Illinois comptroller.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported with 59 percent of precincts counted in a three-way race, Krishnamoorthi had nearly 60 percent of the vote, far ahead of state Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin with about 28 percent and Villa Park Village President Deborah Bullwinkel with 12 percent.
To represent the state’s 8th Congressional District, though, the winner of the Democratic primary still must overcome Republican Peter DiCianni. He’s the DuPage County board member and former Elmhurst mayor who was unopposed inTuesday’s GOP primary for the seat being vacated by Duckworth.
Krishnamoorthi said he knew little about DiCianni but noted the GOP ticket in the fall general election likely would be topped by Donald Trump — whose policies are “completely at odds with what the people of the 8th District want.”
“Instead of buildings walls, we should be building bridges,” Krishnamoorthi, an Indian-born immigrant, said in reference to Trump’s promise to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, reported the Sun-Times.
DiCianni said he has the endorsements of 26 mayors and can win back the seat for the GOP. He said he stayed out of the presidential race.
“Regardless of who wins for president, the race will be between him and I,” DiCianni said of Krishnamoorthi.
2 Comments
Congratulations Mr.Raja
Good and congrats