Krishnamoorthi is the fourth Indian American to be elected to the US House of Representatives.
Representative-elect Raja Krishnamoorthi praised the Indian American community for the progress they have made in the country. The attorney-turned-businessman said that the participation of the community in the civic life of America has increased, reported the Chicago Tribune.
Krishnamoorthi said that Indian Americans have “established themselves economically and are now participating more fully in the civic life of the country.”
“Whenever the Congress represents the increasing diversity of the United States, that’s a good thing,” he added.
Democrat Krishnamoorthi is the fourth Indian American to be elected to the US House of Representatives. The 43-year-0ld politician beat Republican Peter DiCianni in Illinois’ 8th District.
Illinois’s 8th District includes the northern suburbs of Chicago, covering portions of Kane, DuPage and Cook counties vacated by newly elected Sen. Tammy Duckworth.in 2012, Krishnamoorthi had lost to Duckworth in the Democratic primary for this seat. 11 Democrats and seven Republicans have been elected from the state.
Though the Republicans have a majority in the Congress, Krishnamoorthi hopes that the two parties can find a common ground on many issues including rebuilding infrastructure, education and college affordability.
Born in New Delhi, India, Krishnamoorthi is the son of Tamil immigrants who moved to Buffalo, New York, when he was just three months old. After moving to Illinois, Krishnamoorthi attended public schools there. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
He served as a clerk for a federal judge in Chicago before serving as issues director for Barack Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate. He was appointed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General in her newly formed Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption. He subsequently served as Illinois Deputy Treasurer and as Vice-Chair of the Illinois Innovation Council.
Krishnamoorthi lives in Schaumburg, Illinois with his wife, Priya, a physician who practices at a local hospital, and their three children — two sons Vijay, 10; Vikram, 6; and a baby girl.