U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi announces Senate candidacy
[May 08, 2025]
By Ben Szalinski
U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is the latest Democrat to enter the 2026
U.S. Senate primary for retiring Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.
Krishnamoorthi, of Schaumburg, has represented the 8th Congressional
District since 2017. He was born in India and grew up in Peoria. He
earned a law degree from Harvard and has worked in the Illinois Attorney
General’s Office and led a small tech company in the Chicago suburbs.
Describing his middle-class upbringing, Krishnamoorthi said he’ll “never
be quiet while billionaires like Elon Musk and a convicted felon deny
the dreams of the next generation for their own egos.”
“People want to know: At this moment, in this time, where is the power
to fight back?” Krishnamoorthi said in a video launching his campaign.
“What does it look like? Well, I’ll tell you. It looks like you … all of
us ready to step up and fight back.”
Krishnamoorthi represents parts of Kane, DuPage and Cook counties. As a
candidate for Congress, Krishnamoorthi has often wooed voters with TV
commercials showcasing casual mannerisms and his name, telling voters
“just call me Raja.” It’s a theme he is continuing as he joins the
Senate race.
“I worked on a friend’s campaign that showed Illinois will give you a
shot, even if you have a funny name,” Krishnamoorthi said, referring to
his stint as an advisor to Barack Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign. “And
inspired by Barack’s example, I was elected to Congress.”
As a member of the House, Krishnamoorthi is the ranking member on the
Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and
the Chinese Communist Party. He also serves on the House intelligence
committee.
Like other Democrats around the country, Krishnamoorthi recently visited
areas of Illinois outside of his district that are represented by
Republicans in Congress to highlight the impacts of the Trump
administration’s policies.
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U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Schaumburg Democrat, speaks at the
2022 Illinois Democratic County Chairs Association annual brunch in
Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Krishnamoorthi is the third Democrat to enter the race and begins with a
big cash advantage. Federal election records show he has $19.4 million
in his campaign fund and has consistently raised more money than other
members of Illinois’ congressional delegation. His campaign reported
raising $3 million in the first quarter of 2024.
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, a Matteson
Democrat, have also joined the race. Records show Kelly has $2 million
on hand while a political action committee launched by Stratton earlier
this year has not reported any contributions yet.
Krishnamoorthi’s war chest could be a leg up in the competition as U.S.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Gov. JB Pritzker – two of the state’s top
Democrats – endorsed Stratton before any other candidates joined the
race.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, a Naperville Democrat, is also exploring a
run for the Senate.
No major Republican candidates have entered the race so far.
Capitol News Illinois is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government
coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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