Krishnamoorthi claims victory in 8th Congressional District

Raja Krishnamoorthi claimed victory in the 8th Congressional District Democratic primary Tuesday night with 97 percent of the precincts counted.

State Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin conceded the victory to Krishnamoorthi, with Villa Park Mayor Deb Bullwinkel finishing third.

Among the first 449 of 465 precincts reporting, Krishnamoorthi had 42,605 votes to Noland's 20,989 and Bullwinkel's 10,120.

Krishnamoorthi had 58 percent of the total, Noland 28 percent and Bullwinkel 14 percent.

Krishnamoorthi expressed gratitude to his opponents for running a civil race focused on the issues. He also said he learned much from having run four years ago when he lost to Tammy Duckworth, whom he now hopes to succeed.

"We earned the support of many who voted for Tammy four years ago," he said. "I look forward to working with all Democrats in the district to retain this seat in the fall."

Noland released a concession statement late Tuesday.

"I want to congratulate my opponents on a well run, issue based campaign," he wrote. "It was an honor to debate the issues with such informed opponents and while we didn't always agree, we all offered a progressive message of how to move our country forward. I look forward to supporting the entire Democratic ticket in November."

The most distinct difference of position in the primary race was Noland's advocacy for universal health care paid by the federal government, while Bullwinkel and Krishnamoorthi favored efforts to fix the flaws of the existing Affordable Care Act. The candidates philosophically were in agreement on most other issues,

The only candidate on the Republican primary ballot for the 8th District was DuPage County Board member Pete DiCianni.

The 8th Congressional District, roughly centered in Schaumburg, includes parts of northwest suburban Cook County, northern DuPage County and northeastern Kane County.