New Delhi, March 18: Indian-American leader Raja Krishnamoorthi faced a narrow defeat in the Democratic Senate nomination race in Illinois. According to media reports, his main opponent, Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, was declared the winner.
As of 10 PM local time, three hours after the polls closed, approximately 85% of the votes had been counted, showing Stratton leading Krishnamoorthi by nearly 6%. Another African American representative, Robin Kelly, finished third in the race for the nomination to succeed Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.
The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to secure victory against the Republican candidate in the general election scheduled for November. This election is significant in a state where former Democratic leader Kamala Harris defeated Trump by 11% in the 2024 presidential election.
With this primary loss, Krishnamoorthi’s ambition to become the second Indian American to serve in the Senate remains unfulfilled. A member of the House of Representatives since 2017, he ran an aggressive campaign against the state’s favored candidate, Stratton, backed by a substantial budget. He received support from powerful billionaire Governor J.B. Pritzker and Senator Tammy Duckworth.
Some analysts viewed this primary election as a battle of wills between Krishnamoorthi and Pritzker, who is running for president for the third time and positioned his trusted ally Stratton against Krishnamoorthi.
Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt hotel empire, spent $5 million of his personal wealth in support of Krishnamoorthi. According to a company tracking advertising expenses, around $29 million was spent on ads supporting Krishnamoorthi, while Stratton’s campaign saw about $16 million in ad spending.
While Pritzker’s generosity towards Stratton became a topic of discussion in the election, support for Krishnamoorthi from a political action committee backed by digital and cryptocurrency interests, FairShake, also sparked controversy. This was due to FairShake spending money on ads supporting Kelly, which was perceived as an attempt to split African American votes in favor of Krishnamoorthi, even though he was not a direct beneficiary of this expenditure.
Krishnamoorthi also received approximately $250,000 from the Indian American Impact Fund, a political action committee representing the community.
Opposing Trump’s policies became a central theme of Krishnamoorthi’s campaign. Recently, he strongly opposed unauthorized military actions against Iran and voted on a resolution against Trump’s Iran war, which received bipartisan support but ultimately failed to pass.
He has also supported legislative measures to reverse some of Trump’s actions against welfare programs. With rising prices due to the Iran conflict, the economy and affordability were among his key priorities.
Born in New Delhi, Krishnamoorthi moved to the U.S. at three months old. His father brought the family here for higher education and to pursue dreams.
Krishnamoorthi’s immigrant background resonated with a central issue in the election, particularly against Trump’s strict immigration policies, which led to Operation Midway Blitz, resulting in the arrest of nearly 1,600 individuals on Chicago streets.
In a campaign ad, he stated, “I am an immigrant myself, so stopping the attacks on our communities by Trump and ICE is a deeply personal issue for me.” He called for the termination and reform of the Trump-controlled operations of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Stratton has demanded its complete abolition.
It is noteworthy that Krishnamoorthi will vacate his House seat upon the completion of his term, reducing the membership of the so-called “Samosa Caucus” of Indian Americans in Congress until new members are elected in November.
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