Tammy Duckworth

Rep. Schakowsky Endorses Krishnamoorthi in Bid to Replace Duckworth

Krishnamoorthi declared his bid to replace Duckworth in the 8th Congressional District in March

Former Deputy State Treasurer Raja Krishnamoorthi gained a significant backer in his bid to replace Rep. Tammy Duckworth in the 2016 race in Illinois' 8th Congressional District.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th District) announced her endorsement of Krishnamoorthi Tuesday in a statement to the press. 

"Raja is the best choice to succeed Tammy Duckworth in Congress," Schakowsky said. "I look forward to Raja joining me in the fight to make equal pay for equal work the law of the land. Raja knows that when women succeed, America succeeds. Raja will work hard in Washington for gender equality and economic security for working families."

Schakowsky, who has been a member of Congress since 1999, currently serves in the House Democratic Leadership as chief deputy whip and vice chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. She is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where she serves on the subcommittees for Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade; Health; and Oversight and Investigations. 

Krishnamoorthi declared his run for the 8th Congressional District seat in March. He previously ran unsuccessfully for comptroller in 2010 and ran against Duckworth in the Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional seat in 2012. Duckworth is running against Andrea Zopp in the Democratic primary for the Senate race. If she succeeds, she will face incumbent Republican Sen. Mark Kirk. 

If elected, Krishnamoorthi expressed his plans to continue in the footsteps of Duckworth. 

"I am thrilled that Rep. Schakowsky has endorsed me to follow Tammy Duckworth in serving the hardworking families of the 8th District in the northwest Chicago suburbs," Krishnamoorthi said. "Rep. Schakowsky is a leading advocate in Washington for working families and women to make sure that gender equality becomes a reality. I would be honored to have the opportunity to represent Illinois with her on Capitol Hill."

Krishnamoorthi, 41, is the president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc., a collection of small businesses that sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries, and a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organization that provides training in solar technology to Illinois students and veterans.

So far, Krishnamoorthi faces state Sen. Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) in the Democratic primary.  

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