By BEN SZALINSKI
Capitol News Illinois
[email protected]
CHICAGO – 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.
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.
