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Race in the 8th begins

A Hoffman Estates man who finished a close second in the Democratic primary race for Illinois comptroller in 2010 said Saturday he is eying a run for Congress in 2012.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, 37, said he is forming an exploratory committee Monday to seek the 8th Congressional District seat currently held by Republican and tea party favorite Joe Walsh, who defeated three-term Democrat Melissa Bean of Barrington by 291 votes last November.

The announcement comes as the process of redrawing congressional district boundaries continues by Democratic leaders. A proposed map, to reflect population changes in the latest Census, is expected as soon as this week.

Krishnamoorthi says he would expect to challenge Walsh in an 8th District that includes the Northwest suburbs. Bean has said she will not seek her old seat, and Krishnamoorthi is the first Democrat to launch an exploratory committee in a congressional race that should draw national interest in 2012.

“We must continue to work toward economic recovery and winning the global competition for the businesses and good-paying jobs of tomorrow,” said Krishnamoorthi, president of Sivananthan Laboratories, a Bolingbrook-based technology business that specializes in renewable energy and military equipment. “A critical part of winning that battle is making our federal government live within its means.”

Krishnamoorthi was appointed deputy treasurer of Illinois before he left that post to run for comptroller. He also has served on the Illinois House Development Authority and as a special assistant helping to create a public integrity unit for the Illinois attorney general's office. His wife, Priya, is a doctor at St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates, and the couple has two sons, Vijay, 5, and Vikram, 1.

A Princeton University graduate with a degree from Harvard Law School, Krishnamoorthi is a former partner at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis and served as issues director for Barack Obama's 2004 Senate campaign and as an adviser to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.