{"id":2431726,"date":"2025-05-07T05:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/krishnamoorthi-launches-illinois-senate-run-to-succeed-durbin\/"},"modified":"2025-05-07T05:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:11:28","slug":"krishnamoorthi-launches-illinois-senate-run-to-succeed-durbin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/krishnamoorthi-launches-illinois-senate-run-to-succeed-durbin\/","title":{"rendered":"Krishnamoorthi launches Illinois Senate run to succeed Durbin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkrishnamoorthi-launches-illinois-senate-run-to-succeed-durbin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2431726&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois has officially launched his campaign for the U.S.Senate, aiming to succeed the retiring senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin. He enters the race with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lt-gov-robinson-transgenders-should-be-arrested-if-they-use-preferred-restroom-citing-womens-safety\/\" title=\".... Gov. Robinson advocates for transgender restroom arrests, citing women&#039;s safety\">substantial fundraising advantage<\/a>, reporting a war chest of $19 million and having raised $3 million in the first quarter of 2025. Krishnamoorthi, who previously served as policy director for Barack Obama, expressed gratitude for the support he has received from the community and emphasized his commitment to fighting for working families.<\/p>\n<p>As he enters a competitive Democratic primary against notable candidates including Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has the endorsement of Governor JB Pritzker, and Rep. Robin Kelly, Krishnamoorthi is considered a strong contender. The Illinois Senate seat is rated as &#8220;solid Democrat,&#8221; suggesting that while the primary may be intense, the general election is likely to favor Democratic candidates considerably.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, other Democratic figures, such as Rep.Lauren Underwood, are also contemplating joining the race, indicating a crowded primary landscape. Krishnamoorthi plans to focus his campaign on issues affecting families and combating the influence of wealthy individuals in politics. he is set to conduct his first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-officially-hits-2024-campaign-trail\/\" title=\"Trump Officially Hits 2024 Campaign Trail\">official campaign events<\/a> in Peoria, Chicago, and Schaumburg soon. His decision to run will leave his current House seat open, adding to the Democratic Party&#8217;s challenges in maintaining control of the House.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Raja Krishnamoorthi launches Illinois Senate campaign with large war chest to combat Pritzker&rsquo;s<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2115058\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is running for Senate to succeed outgoing Senate Minority Whip <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dick-durbin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Dick Durbin<\/a> (D-IL), boasting a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >multimillion-dollar war chest<\/a> as he seeks to dominate in a competitive Democratic primary.<\/p>\n<p>In a Wednesday press release shared with the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Krishnamoorthi called Durbin a &ldquo;titan.&rdquo; Durbin, 80, announced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3388731\/durbin-announces-retirement-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"he wouldn&rsquo;t seek reelection\">he wouldn&rsquo;t seek reelection<\/a> in late April, passing on a sixth term in the Senate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3403457\/trump-endorse-mike-lawler-house-new-york-governor-race-stefanik-blakeman\/\">Trump endorses Lawler for House reelection despite likely New York governor ambitions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3402115\/rep-robin-kelly-joins-illinois-senate-race-for-durbin-seat\/\">Robin Kelly jumps into Illinois Senate race for Durbin&#8217;s seat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3402166\/watch-live-va-secretary-doug-collins-testifies-congress\/\">WATCH LIVE: VA Secretary Doug Collins testifies before Senate Veterans&#8217; Affairs Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3395594\/brian-schatz-lines-up-whip-support-no-senate-competitors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"SCHATZ LINES UP WHIP SUPPORT WITH NO SENATE COMPETITORS\">SCHATZ LINES UP WHIP SUPPORT WITH NO SENATE COMPETITORS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am deeply humbled by the encouragement I have received from friends, family members, and community leaders encouraging me, a fellow son of downstate, to run for the U.S. Senate,&rdquo; Krishnamoorthi said.<\/p>\n<p>Krishnamoorthi will be a formidable Democratic opponent in the primary, as he has a war chest of $19 million and raised $3 million in the first quarter of 2025. Many Republicans and independents also respect him given his work in Congress and status as ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, which could be helpful in a general election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The seat was rated &ldquo;solid Democrat&rdquo; by the nonpartisan <em>Cook Political Report <\/em>when Durbin was still running. In a blue state that hasn&rsquo;t elected a Republican senator since 2010, it is unlikely the seat will be a Republican pickup.<\/p>\n<p>Krishnamoorthi has at least two competitive Democratic primary opponents: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3391541\/pritzker-endorsement-senate-juliana-stratton-dick-durbin\/\">received an endorsement<\/a> from Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3402115\/rep-robin-kelly-joins-illinois-senate-race-for-durbin-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"announced her bid\">announced her bid<\/a> on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Stratton will be a strong primary contender, particularly with the backing of Pritzker, who is heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune. However, his endorsement will be a test of how much weight he carries in a significant national election, such as the U.S. Senate, particularly as speculation circles that he may be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3391162\/pritzker-newsom-2028-showdown-democratic-game-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"preparing for a presidential run\">preparing for a presidential run<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly has built relationships across the state as the former state Democratic chairwoman. She has also experience in winning tough primaries, defeating 15 other candidates in a special election to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), co-chairwoman of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, is also mulling a bid. Ahead of Durbin&rsquo;s announcement, she sent out a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durbin-senate-retirement-opens-door-for-big-name-democrats-in-illinois-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... for big...name ... in ... ... Washington Examiner\">fundraising plea telling supporters<\/a> she was &ldquo;gearing up and getting ready&rdquo; after a 314 Action poll found her statistically tied with Krishnamoorthi in a four-way race, 33% to 30%, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Congresswoman Underwood is always thinking about the best way to serve her constituents, and as she&rsquo;s heard from folks across the state who are hungry for the next generation of effective leadership in the United States Senate, she&rsquo;s carefully considering her next steps,&rdquo; an Underwood campaign spokesperson told the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Krishnamoorthi, who was Barack Obama&rsquo;s policy director in 2004, won election to his House seat in 2016. He said in a video he plans to be a strong voice for Illinois, pushing back against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who has championed the Department of Government Efficiency. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3389057\/durbin-retirement-illinois-house-democrats-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"DURBIN SENATE RETIREMENT OPENS DOOR FOR BIG-NAME DEMOCRATS IN SOLID-BLUE ILLINOIS\">DURBIN SENATE RETIREMENT OPENS DOOR FOR BIG-NAME DEMOCRATS IN SOLID-BLUE ILLINOIS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve made it my mission to fight for families like the ones I grew up with. People who just want a chance to work hard and realize their dreams,&rdquo; Krishnamoorthi said in his <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/2nBH90cMI6Q?si=XLE8wbwPWgHGlbmq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">campaign video<\/a>. &ldquo;So I&rsquo;ll never be quiet while billionaires like Elon Musk and a convicted felon deny the dreams of the next generation for their own egos and personal profit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Krishnamoorthi will hold his first official campaign events in Peoria, Chicago, and Schaumburg beginning Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The congressman&rsquo;s decision to seek higher office leaves House Democrats with yet another open seat to defend in what is sure to be a close election for control of the House. Democrats only need a net gain of three seats to win back the majority, but several incumbents have chosen to seek a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-resoundingly-defeat-ranked-choice-voting-initiatives\/\" title=\"Voters Resoundingly Defeat Ranked...Choice Voting Initiatives\">statewide executive office<\/a> or Senate seat, including members in competitive seats.<\/p>\n<p>Krishnamoorthi&rsquo;s seat is not considered a toss-up, but the lack of an incumbent in Illinois&rsquo;s 8th Congressional District could give Republicans an opening. Republicans held the seat for one term, until now-Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) beat out Krishnamoorthi in a primary and went on to defeat former Rep. Joe Walsh in the 2012 elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2115058\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2115058\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raja Krishnamoorthi starts Illinois Senate campaign with strong funding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2431727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Krishnamoorthi-1024x587.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54752,34059,54201,54751,33387],"class_list":["post-2431726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-durbin-successor","tag-election-2024","tag-illinois-senate","tag-krishnamoorthi","tag-political-campaign"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Krishnamoorthi-1024x587.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431726"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2431730,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431726\/revisions\/2431730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2431727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}