Congressional bid of Indian American politician gains momentum

Washington: The Congressional bid of Indian American Raja Krishnamurthi appears to have gained momentum with the Illinois politician bagging endorsements from top US lawmakers including the influential Nancy Pelosi.

"Raja will bring to Congress a tireless work ethic and deep experience in the public and private sectors," Pelosi, who is leader of the Democratic Party in the US House of Representatives, said.

"These qualities will enable him to pursue our common goal of fighting for progressive causes and strengthening and growing our middle class," she said in a recent statement.

"I strongly endorse Raja Krishnamoorthi because he is a true progressive and the best candidate to represent the working families in Chicago's Northwest suburbs," Pelosi had said.

Krishanmoorthi, 42, is seeking to enter the House of Representatives from the eighth Congressional District of Illinois and has been endorsed by 16 members of Congress, including Pelosi and Congressman Jan Schakowsky.

Attorney and entrepreneur, Raja has also been endorsed by David Axelrod, former senior advisor to President Obama. In total, his campaign is supported by over 100 local and national leaders and organisations.

His immediate challenge is to get through the March 15 primary contest before the general election.

Krishnamoorthi previously was the policy director and a senior advisor for Barack Obama's 2004 US Senate campaign, and also served as an advisor to Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign.

He served as Deputy Treasurer of Illinois from 2007-2009 under Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and in 2010 ran for the Democratic nomination for Illinois State Comptroller, losing to David E Miller by less than one percent of the vote.

Born in New Delhi on July 19, 1973, his parents immigrated to Buffalo, New York when he was three months old.

Krishnamurthi currently serves as president of Sivananthan Labs and Episolar, Inc, small businesses that develop and sell products in the national security and renewable energy industries.

He is a co-founder of InSPIRE, a non-profit organisation that provides training to Illinois students and veterans in solar technology, and was formerly vice chairman of the Illinois Innovation Council, which promotes innovative technologies that support economic growth and job creation.

Early this month, Krishnamoorthi earned endorsement of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) International. The 8th District covers the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, and its eastern boundary includes portions of O'Hare airport.