Duckworth eyeing another congressional bid?

Hoffman Estates Democrat Tammy Duckworth, the Iraq veteran who lost a high-profile campaign for Congress to Republican Peter Roskam in 2006, might be eyeing Washington again.

Duckworth just finished a stint as assistant secretary of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs and is back in Illinois making phone calls to party officials to talk about a run in the new 8th Congressional District in 2012, said Pete Giangreco, who worked on her campaign in 2006.

A bid would likely set up a primary matchup between Duckworth and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, of Hoffman Estates, who is already raising money for a congressional campaign.

“We raised more than $400,000, indicating there’s a hunger for candidates rooted in their communities and possessing both public and private-sector experience to help strengthen our economy,” Krishnamoorthi said.

Duckworth, who lost both legs in 2004 when a grenade hit her helicopter, wouldn’t be a stranger to a high-priced campaign. Her campaign against Roskam was one of the country’s most-watched contests of the year.

“She was a very strong candidate when she ran in the sixth,” Giangreco said.

The new 8th Congressional District stretches from Elgin in the West, to Elk Grove Village in the East, and south to Lombard. It includes Schaumburg, Addison and parts of Palatine.

Giangreco said Duckworth doesn’t have a timetable to make a decision.

But with other candidates already raising money, it might be to her advantage to declare her intentions soon.