Who Is Raja Krishnamoorthi? All About The Indian-American Democrat Re-Elected In Illinois

Last Updated:November 06, 2024, 11:28 IST

Krishnamoorthi, born in New Delhi, won the election against Republican candidate Mark Rice.

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. (Image: AP)

Indian-origin Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was re-elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, for the fifth consecutive term. Krishnamoorthi, born in New Delhi, won the election against Republican candidate Mark Rice.

Krishnamoorthi played a crucial role in Democrat nominee Kamala Harris’s campaign in critical swing states where he asked the Indian American community to come out and vote in big numbers. The Indian-American advocated for the Harris-Walz duo and made efforts to boost the South Asian voter turnout.

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Krishnamoorthi, whose parents are from Tamil Nadu, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. Raised in Peoria, Illinois, Krishnamoorthi went to Princeton University to study mechanical engineering and graduated from Harvard Law School. He resides in Schaumburg, Illinois, with his wife, Priya, a physician, and their three children.

In February 2023, Krishnamoorthi was appointed as Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He is also a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The Indian-American is also the lead Democrat on the Averting the Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act (ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act), which protects Americans by blocking and prohibiting all transactions from any social media company in, or under the influence of, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and several other foreign adversaries.

In the 117th Congress, he led bipartisan legislation that was signed into law, called the Gathering and Reporting Assessments Yielding Zero Overlooked Nefarious Efforts (GRAY ZONE) Act, which requires the Director of Intelligence (DNI) to produce a Intelligence Estimate on different aspects of gray zone activities — actions that fall between ordinary statecraft and open warfare — that the PRC employs.

Krishnamoorthi was also the lead Democrat on the bipartisan Transparency for Malign Chinese Investments in Global Port Infrastructure Act, which requires the DNI to study and report to Congress information related to Chinese global investments in port infrastructure.

In August 2024, Krishnamoorthi had condemned the violence in Bangladesh, including the attacks on Hindus, saying an interim government that will be sworn in should end the unrest across the country and bring its perpetrators to justice. “As Bangladesh prepares to swear in its interim government, I urge all government officials, the new administration and police chief, and the people of Bangladesh to do all they can to end the violence that has emerged across the country, including the brutal targeting of the country’s Hindu minority, their homes, businesses, and their temples," Krishnamoorthi had said in a statement.

(With PTI Inputs)

New York, United States of America (USA)

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