Raja Krishnamoorthi
| Raja Krishnamoorthi | |
|---|---|
| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th district | |
|
Taking office January 3, 2017 | |
| Succeeding | Tammy Duckworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 19, 1973 New Delhi, India (childhood in Peoria, Illinois) |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Priya |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Princeton University, Harvard Law School |
| Occupation | Small Businessman, Attorney |
Raja Krishnamoorthi (born July 19, 1973) is an Indian-American businessman, public servant, and politician from the state of Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the member-elect to the United States House of Representatives for Illinois's 8th congressional district, following the general election on November 8, 2016.
Early life
Krishnamoorthi was born in New Delhi, India in 1973.[1] His family moved to Buffalo, New York, when he was three months old, so that his father could attend graduate school.[2] They lived in public housing and used food stamps.[3] In 1980, the Krishnamoorthi family moved to Peoria, Illinois.[2] His father became a professor at Bradley University.[3]
Krishnamoorthi attended Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He then received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.[3]
Early career
After graduating from Harvard, Krishnamoorthi served as a law clerk for Joan B. Gottschall,[4] and worked as a staffer on Barack Obama's 2000 election campaign for the United States House of Representatives. Krishnamoorthi served as an issues director for Obama's 2004 election to the United States Senate.[3] Krishnamoorthi aided in the development of Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address.[2]
Krishnamoorthi served as a partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, as a special assistant attorney general under Lisa Madigan, the Illinois Attorney General, and as deputy state treasurer for Alexi Giannoulias, the Illinois Treasurer from 2007 through 2009.[2][3] He is the president of Sivananthan Laboratories and Episolar Inc., which develop and sell technology for military and civilian customers.[2][3]
Electoral career
In 2010, Krishnamoorthi ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Illinois Comptroller. He lost the primary election to David E. Miller by less than 1% of the vote.[5][6] He ran for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in Illinois's 8th congressional district in the 2012 elections. Tammy Duckworth defeated Krishnamoorthi in the primary election, 66%–34%.[3]
With Duckworth running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, Krishnamoorthi again declared his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives. He won the March 2016 primary election with 57% of the vote, while Michael Noland earned 29% and Deb Bullwinkel received 13%.[5] In November of 2016, Krishnamoorthi defeated Republican Pete DiCianni in the General Election to become the U.S. Congressman for Illinois's 8th congressional district. This result makes Krishnamoorthi the first Hindu Indian-American to be elected to Congress in American history.[7]
Personal life
Krishnamoorthi's wife, Priya, is a doctor. They have two sons, Vijay and Vikram,[8] and live in Schaumburg, Illinois.[9]
References
- ↑ Sharma, Sheenu (9 November 2016). "Raja Krishnamoorthi becomes first Indian-American to enter US Congress". India Today.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (29 August 2016). "Raja Krishnamoorthi: First-ever Hindu of Indian origin may make it to the US House of Representatives". firstpost.com. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gonzales, Nathan L. (31 March 2016). "Faces of the 115th Congress: Raja Krishnamoorthi". Roll Call. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Schoenburg, Bernard (August 2, 2009). "Bernard Schoenburg: Schock, Shimkus: Obama born in U.S.". The State-Journal Register. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- 1 2 "Raja Krishnamoorthi Registers Big Win in Congressional Primary". Chicago Tribune. March 17, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Mack, Kristen (February 3, 2010). "Democratic comptroller race settled". Chicago Tribune. Chicago: Tribune Co. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Raja Krishnamoorthi Wins 8th Congressional District Race". ABC7 Chicago News. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Raja Krishnamoorthi: Candidate Profile". Daily Herald. January 1, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ↑ Gutowski, Christy (October 28, 2016). "Suburban politicians seeking promotion vie to succeed Duckworth in Congress". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2016.