Raja Krishnamoorthi wins election to US House of Representatives

Democratic Indian-American businessman Raja Krishnamoorthi, 43, on Wednesday won election to the US House of Representatives from the state of Illinois.

He contested for the 8th Congressional District of Illinois, which includes Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs. Krishnamoorthi ran for the House on a platform that included protecting Social Security and medical benefits, making higher education more affordable, and bolstering small businesses.

Krishnamoorthi is president of two small businesses that develop and sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Princeton University and graduated with honours from the Harvard Law School.

In his campaign, Krishnamoorthi advocated policies to help working families, including equal pay for equal work, paid sick and maternity leave, raising the federal minimum wage and making college more affordable. He also defended and campaigned for women’s reproductive freedom.

In March, he won the Democratic Party’s Congressional primary in Illinois. US President Barack Obama endorsed Krishnamoorthi and in a video message last month, described him as a “good friend”.