iNDICA NEWS BUREAU–
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi won the Democratic primary unopposed from the 8th Congressional District of Illinois on Tuesday night. He will go against Republican Mark Rice, who also won the party primary unopposed, in the November general elections. Krishnamoorthi is a businessman, politician, and attorney, and has been serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois’s 8th congressional district since 2017. The district includes many of Chicago’s western and northwestern suburbs, such as Hoffman Estates, Elgin, Schaumburg, Wood Dale, and Elk Grove Village.
The 50-year-old congressman serves as the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Born in New Delhi, India and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Krishnamoorthi is the first ever Indian American or person of South Asian descent to serve as Ranking Member or Chair of any full committee in the U.S. Congress. He also serves as an assistant whip.
Krishnamoorthi attended Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering summa cum laude. He then received a Juris Doctor with honors from Harvard Law School. During law school, Krishnamoorthi was managing editor of the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review, and published a law review article on the implementation of Local School Councils in Chicago public elementary schools.
Krishnamoorthi pursued public service while practicing law and was appointed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as a Special Assistant Attorney General to help start the state’s Public Integrity Unit created to root out corruption in Illinois.
As a member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Congressman chaired the Audit Committee, helping to provide thousands of low and moderate-income families across the state with affordable housing.
Congressman Krishnamoorthi also served as Illinois Deputy Treasurer, where he oversaw the state’s technology venture capital fund and helped make programs such as the state’s unclaimed property program leaner and more efficient.
After his time in the Illinois Treasurer’s Office, Krishnamoorthi returned to the private sector, serving as president of research-oriented small businesses developing technology in the national security and renewable energy industries.
Representative Krishnamoorthi also served as the Vice-Chair of the Illinois Innovation Council and co-founded InSPIRE, a non-profit that provides inner-city students and veterans with training in solar technology.
The Congressman resides with his wife Priya, a physician, and three children in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Indian American Raja Krishnamoorthi wins Democratic primary in Illinois 8th District unopposed
