PEORIA, Ill. – It was a Peoria homecoming on Friday for an Illinois Congressman seeking a political promotion.
8th District Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi returned to his childhood home to begin his campaign for Dick Durbin’s seat. His district covers the northwest suburbs of Chicago, but grew up in Peoria and is a Richwoods High School graduate.
“This is the community that really shaped who I am today,” Krishnamoorthi said. “It taught me the values of respect and helping each other. I would not be who I am, but for Peoria.”
Krishnamoorthi says he’s running because he wants others to achieve the American dream that he received. In that vein, he claims that dream is starting to be unattainable for most of the country.
Krishnamoorthi blamed the Trump administration and Elon Musk for that, alleging they are creating “economic chaos” with the Department of Government Efficiency. He also says the administration is dismantling the immigration system, eliminating housing and food benefits, and the public school system is “under threat.”
Krishnamoorthi joins Lieutenant Governor Juilana Stratton and Congresswoman Robin Kelly in the Democratic primary. Stratton has picked up the endorsements of Governor J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. But he says those endorsements do not concern him.
“The people of Illinois deserve to have a say in who their next U.S. Senator is, so I’ll be working hard to earn their support,” Krishnamoorthi said.
Krishnamoorthi believes he can win over some Republicans in the Peoria-area, saying they’re more bipartisan in central Illinois, compared to more hardline Republicans in Washington D.C.
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