New York: Must to the surprise of his ardent supporters, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi , who was the predicted frontrunner in the Democratic Senate Primary in Illinois, has lost to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, ending his dream of being the first Indian-origin senator from Illinois.
Conceding the race to Stratton, Rep. Krishnamoorthi said, "I thank the many local Democratic leaders and county chairs across the state who had the courage to defy the party establishment and endorse the candidate with 29 letters in his name. In the classic Chicago story, I'm the guy nobody sent to be their senator... this campaign may be over, but my gratitude and friendship will be forever."
He added, " I will have almost a year remaining in the best job I've ever had, representing the good people of Illinois' 8th Congressional District, and I pledge to you tonight that I will continue to do that job to the best of my ability to fight for the kind of country we all still believe in."
Krishnamoorthi, who currently represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, had positioned his campaign as a fight against "billionaire backers and MAGA extremists." He had also expressed his commitment to fighting for working families and standing up to what he described as extremist threats to democracy in Illinois.
Krishnamoorthi had previously received key endorsements from four Democratic Party organizations, namely, The Schaumburg Area Democratic Party, Bloomingdale Township Democratic Organization, Hanover Township Democratic Party, and Elk Grove Township Democratic Party. They had described Krishnamoorthi as the “leader Illinois needs” in the Senate while acknowledging his legislative experience as a congressman from the state.
If Krishnamoorthi had secured victory in the general election, he would have become just the second Indian American ever elected to the U.S. Senate, after Kamala Harris.
