Krishnamoorthi claims victory in 8th District Democratic primary

Second-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg claimed victory Tuesday with a decisive lead over his two challengers for the party's nomination.

With 61.5% of precincts reporting, Krishnamoorthi had 42,806 votes, or 80.4% of the total, while William Olson of Schaumburg had 6,917 votes for 13% and Inam Hussain of Libertyville had 3,527 votes for 6.6%.

"The voters rewarded my office for the hard work of me and my staff putting their priorities first," Krishnamoorthi said. "We're going to continue to fight for the best constituents in the country, those of the 8th Congressional District."

Health care, immigration reform and responses to climate change were among the issues the three candidates debated at their public meetings during the campaign season.

While both challengers criticized Krishnamoorthi's attendance of a reception in Houston last fall for controversial Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the incumbent insisted the diplomatic responsibilities of the office require meeting many world leaders from across the political spectrum.

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

While Hussain doesn't live in the district, he claimed a familiarity with it through his professional career. Candidates for Congress aren't required to live in the districts they seek to represent, either before or after election.

The Illinois Republican Party has until June 1 to slate a candidate for the Nov. 3 general election, as none filed last autumn for Tuesday's primary.