Blitz Bureau
WASHINGTON: Democrat lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi has announced that he is running for the US Senate, which, if he wins, will write him into history as only the second American of Indian descent elected to the chamber, reported IANS.
“I’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 realise their dreams,” Krishnamoorthi said in a video message announcing his Senate bid. He currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives from Illinois state and he is vying for the Senate seat vacated by Dick Durbin, a long-time member from the solidly Democratic state.
Krishnamoorthi was born in New Delhi and his family moved to the US when he was three. He studied law and went on to become a Policy Director for Barack Obama’s successful campaign for the Senate. In 2016, Krishnamoorthi was elected to the House of Representatives and quickly made a mark on the national political scene with among other things, coining the phrase ‘Samosa Caucus’ for the group of four members of the House of Indian descent – Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal. The group has since grown to six, with the election of Shri Thanedar and Suhas Subramanyam.
If elected, he will become only the second Indian-American to make it to the Senate. Kamala Harris was the first, winning her seat from California the same year as Krishnamoorthi won his first term, along with Khanna and Jayapal. In fact, the Samosa Caucus also included Harris at the time, but she left shortly to join Joe Biden’s bid for the White House and then went on to serve as the US Vice-President from 2021 to 2025.
