Raja Wins Primary to Replace Tammy Duckworth in Congress

Raja Krishnamoorthi declared victory Tuesday night in the contest to replace Rep. Tammy Duckworth in Congress for the 8th District of Illinois that includes the northwest Chicago suburbs.

"I will fight in Congress to save the middle-class in our country, because it's our middle-class that makes America strong," Krishnamoorthi added in his victory speech.

With 100% of the precincts in the 8th District reporting election returns, Krishnamoorthi won the support of 57 percent of voters with State Sen. Mike Noland at 29 percent and Villa Park President Deb Bullwinkel with 14 percent. The Associated Press called the election in favor of Krishnamoorthi.

Krishnamoorthi swept all of the Chicago area major newspaper endorsements on his way to winning the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 8th District of Illinois. Raja is "the best candidate, hands down," wrote the Chicago Tribune in its endorsement of Raja for Congress, following earlier endorsements of Krishnamoorthi from the Daily Herald and Chicago Sun-Times.

"I'm proud that we ran on ideas, not on insults," Raja said before hundreds of supporters in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest Chicago suburb in the heart of the 8th congressional district of Illinois. "That's how we'll win in November, and it's how we'll beat Donald Trump. And let me tell Mr. Trump something tonight: We don't need him to make America great again. It's already great. We just need to make sure that America lives up to its promise – that if you work hard and play by the rules, you and your children can succeed. That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America you believe in. And, together, we’ll make sure nobody takes it away."

A small businessman, Raja Krishnamoorthi currently serves as president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc., small businesses that sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries. He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organization that provides training to Illinois students and veterans in solar technology, and was formerly Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council, whose mission is to promote innovative technologies that support economic growth and job creation in Illinois. Raja resides in Schaumburg with his wife, Priya, and their two sons.