Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is dedicated to making better the lives of the people in the 8th Congressional District who live in Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs.

Raja was first elected to Congress in November 8, 2016. He is working tirelessly every day to combat the coronavirus and rebuild our economy as he seeks re-election.

Raja is the Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. He also serves as a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Oversight Committee.

Raja is Co-chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Immigration Task Force, a co-founder of the Congressional Solar Caucus, and vice-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus.

If afforded another term in Congress, Raja will work to build on his record of standing up for our nation’s middle-class families — and all those aspiring to make it to the middle class.

Serving the needs of those most in need.

Raja is dedicated to serving and getting things done for our community and, especially those who most need someone on their side — our most vulnerable citizens.

Raja has worked his hardest to ensure other Americans have the same opportunities his family had to achieve the American Dream. He co-authored successful legislation to expand federal support for career and technical education, so 13 million Americans each year who choose not to pursue a four-year college education have the same chance to obtain a good-paying job with a future.

A progressive advocate for protecting Social Security and Medicare, Raja is making higher education more affordable and bolstering small businesses.

Raja is advocating for policies to help working families, including equal pay for equal work, paid sick and maternity leave, and raising the federal minimum wage. Raja is also a staunch defender of women’s reproductive freedom.

Humble beginnings

Born in India on July 19, 1973, Raja’s family moved to Buffalo, New York when he was three months old. The pursuit of higher education brought Raja’s parents to America as they decided that this country was the best place in the world to fulfill their dreams. Like many legal immigrants, their path was sometimes difficult. Economic hardship necessitated living in public housing and using food assistance for a time. But thanks to the generosity of the American people, Raja’s family carved out a middle-class life in Peoria, Illinois where his father was an engineering professor at Bradley University for more than 40 years.

Starting from these humble roots, Raja attended public schools and later won scholarships and took out loans to attend college and law school.

The drive to succeed

Raja is a lifelong learner.

As a college professor, Raja’s father modeled excellence in education, and, in turn, Raja’s entire family placed a high value on education as well.

Raja worked hard as a student and became a valedictorian at Peoria Richwoods High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in mechanical engineering from Princeton University and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School.

A career of service

After clerking for a federal judge in Chicago, Raja served as policy director for Barack Obama’s successful 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Later, Raja was appointed by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to serve as a Special Assistant Attorney General in her newly formed Public Integrity Unit to root out corruption.

Raja has also served as a member of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, where he chaired the Audit Committee. And he was Vice-Chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council, whose mission was to promote innovative technologies that support economic growth and job creation.

As Deputy Treasurer for Illinois for two years, Raja oversaw the state’s technology venture capital fund and helped revamp programs such as the state’s unclaimed property program to become leaner and more efficient.

A small businessman, Raja served as president of high-tech small businesses in the Chicago suburbs that develop and sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries.

He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a not-for-profit organization that provides training in solar technology to inner-city students and veterans.

A dedicated family man.

Raja is married to Priya, a doctor who practices at local hospitals. They live in Schaumburg with their three children.