8th District hopefuls address Schaumburg business leaders

National security, the presidential race and their personal motivations for running were among the topics candidates to succeed 8th District Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth addressed Wednesday before members of Schaumburg's business community.

Republican Pete DiCianni of Elmhurst and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg were among the speakers at the Schaumburg Business Association's Legislative Affairs Forum.

DiCianni called national security his No. 1 issue, saying President Barack Obama's foreign policy has been damaging to the nation - particularly pulling troops out Iraq too early.

While a supporter of legal immigration, DiCianni said more can be done to vet immigrants and ensure America isn't opening its borders to potential terrorists.

Krishnamoorthi called the Islamic State a cancer that must be destroyed. He supports backing Sunni Muslims unaffiliated with ISIS as a means to fight the terror group without risking U.S. lives.

He blames the chaos in the region on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which he said created a power vacuum that must still be addressed.

The general dissatisfaction many voters have with their presidential choices this year was addressed differently by both candidates.

While DiCianni said he hopes voter discontent with that race would raise interest in the contests closer to home, Krishnamoorthi criticized Republican candidate Donald Trump for being particularly divisive.

He cited his own background of growing up in poverty as the basis of his politics, remembering how his immigrant parents had received help in the form of public housing and food stamps until they could get back on their feet and become contributing members of society.

"In one generation, anything is possible in this greatest country in the world," Krishnamoorthi said.

DiCianni credited the inspiration of his parents and legendary York High School running coach Joe Newton for finding the ability to self-fund his way through college without debt or a dime of government money.

"The principles I learned at York really inspired me to move on in life," he said.

The 8th District is roughly centered in Schaumburg, and includes parts of northwest Cook County, northeast DuPage County and northeast Kane County.

The other speakers at Wednesday's forum were Republican state Rep. Tom Morrison of Palatine and Jillian Bernas, the Schaumburg Republican challenging Democratic state Rep. Michelle Mussman. Mussman was invited to the event but declined due to a prior commitment, SBA officials said.