Veteran Duckworth to file to run for Congress

Iraq War veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth said Wednesday that she's running for Congress.

The Democrat announced she would file paperwork to run in the newly drawn 8th Congressional District in Chicago's northwest suburbs. No incumbent lives in that district.

The district is the result of a new congressional map drawn by Illinois Democrats after the latest census. Democrats were in charge of the remapping because they control the governor's office and the General Assembly. The GOP is expected to challenge the map. The number of congressional districts on the map has been reduced from 19 to 18 because of Illinois' slowing population growth.

Duckworth's entry into the race sets up a high profile race for Congress. Another Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, also has said he's running in that district. Both candidates live in Hoffman Estates.

Duckworth, who lost both her legs in a rocket-propelled grenade attack while serving in Iraq, ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006 in another district. Parts of that other district are included in the new 8th District and are areas Duckworth won in 2006, her spokesman Pete Giangreco said.

"My father served in Vietnam, my brother served in the Coast Guard and my husband continues to serve on active duty because our family believes in this great nation. There are plenty of folks in Washington who serve political ideology or personal ambition. I want to continue serving our country," Duckworth, 43, said in a statement.

Giangreco said Duckworth would file her paperwork either Wednesday or Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

Duckworth was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2009 to the VA post from which she recently resigned so that she could run for Congress. Previously, she was chief of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Krishnamoorthi, 37, who narrowly lost the Democrat primary for Illinois Comptroller in 2010, said he wants to go to Washington to focus on the economy and to protect programs such as Medicare.

"The place where you can have an impact and address those issues is Congress," said Krishnamoorthi, who runs a high-tech company.