Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi announces Senate run
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi announced his Senate run on Wednesday morning.
Krishnamoorthi released a campaign video highlighting his plans to fight against President Trump's policies. He also focuses on protecting Social Security for seniors, assisting veterans and defending public eduation.
He released the following statement:
"Senator Dick Durbin is a titan who will go down as one of the most effective and dedicated public servants in Illinois history. I am deeply humbled by the encouragement I have received from friends, family members, and community leaders encouraging me, a fellow son of downstate, to run for the U.S. Senate."
Krishnamoorthi served as policy director for Barack Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate. Krishnamoorthi was first elected to Congress in 2016.
Most recently in 2024, Krishnamoorthi won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Illinois.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
33 minutes ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Tensions Flare Between Protesters and Law Enforcement in L.A.
News Analysis National Guard troops in Los Angeles on Sunday. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has formally asked the Trump administration to remove them. It is the fight President Trump had been waiting for, a showdown with a top political rival in a deep blue state over an issue core to his political agenda. In bypassing the authority of Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, to call in the National Guard to quell protests in the Los Angeles area over his administration's efforts to deport more migrants, Mr. Trump is now pushing the boundaries of presidential authority and stoking criticism that he is inflaming the situation for political gain. Local and state authorities had not sought help in dealing with the scattered protests that erupted after an immigration raid on Friday in the garment district. But Mr. Trump and his top aides leaned into the confrontation with California leaders on Sunday, portraying the demonstrations as an existential threat to the country — setting in motion an aggressive federal response that in turn sparked new protests across the city. As more demonstrators took to the streets, the president wrote on social media that Los Angeles was being 'invaded and occupied' by 'violent, insurrectionist mobs,' and directed three of his top cabinet officials to take any actions necessary to 'liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion.' 'Nobody's going to spit on our police officers. Nobody's going to spit on our military,' Mr. Trump told reporters as he headed to Camp David on Sunday, although it was unclear whether any such incidents had occurred. 'That happens, they get hit very hard.' The president declined to say whether he planned to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which allows for the use of federal troops on domestic soil to quell a rebellion. But either way, he added, 'we're going to have troops everywhere.' Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, posted on social media that 'this is a fight to save civilization.' Mr. Trump's decision to deploy at least 2,000 members of the California National Guard is the latest example of his willingness and, at times, an eagerness to shatter norms to pursue his political goals and bypass limits on presidential power. The last president to send in the National Guard for a domestic operation without a request from the state's governor, Lyndon B. Johnson, did so in 1965, to protect civil rights demonstrators in Alabama. Image President Donald Trump in New Jersey on Sunday. On social media, he, his aides and allies have sought to frame the demonstrations against immigration officials on their own terms. Credit... Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times But aides and allies of the president say the events unfolding in Los Angeles provide an almost perfect distillation of why Mr. Trump was elected in November. 'It could not be clearer,' said Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker and ally of the president who noted that Mr. Trump had been focused on immigration enforcement since 2015. 'One side is for enforcing the law and protecting Americans, and the other side is for defending illegals and being on the side of the people who break the law.' Sporadic protests have occurred across the country in recent days as federal agents have descended on Los Angeles and other cities searching workplaces for undocumented immigrants, part of an expanded effort by the administration to ramp up the number of daily deportations. On social media, Mr. Trump, his aides and allies have sought to frame the demonstrations against immigration officials on their own terms. They have shared images and videos of the most violent episodes — focusing particularly on examples of protesters lashing out at federal agents — even as many remained peaceful. Officials also zeroed in on demonstrators waving flags of other countries, including Mexico and El Salvador, as evidence of a foreign invasion. 'Illegal criminal aliens and violent mobs have been committing arson, throwing rocks at vehicles, and attacking federal law enforcement for days,' wrote Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. Mr. Newsom, whom the president refers to as 'Newscum,' has long been a foil for Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly targeted California and its leader as emblematic of failures of the Democratic Party. 'We expected this, we prepared for this,' Mr. Newsom said in a statement to The New York Times. 'This is not surprising — for them to succeed, California must fail, and so they're going to try everything in their tired playbook despite the evidence against them.' Image Law enforcement officers and members of the California National Guard engaged protesters in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday. Credit... Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times On Sunday, the governor sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally requesting that Mr. Trump rescind the call-up of the National Guard, saying federal actions were inflaming the situation. He was echoed by other Democratic officials, who said the mounting demonstrations were the result of Mr. Trump's own actions. The president and his aides 'are masters of misinformation and disinformation,' Senator Alex Padilla of California, a Democrat, said in an interview. 'They create a crisis of their own making and come in with all the theatrics and cruelty of immigration enforcement. They should not be surprised in a community like Los Angeles they will be met by demonstrators who are very passionate about standing up for fundamental rights and due process.' Republicans defended Mr. Trump's moves, saying he was rightfully exercising his power to protect public safety. 'The president is extremely concerned about the safety of federal officials in L.A. right now who have been subject to acts of violence and harassment and obstruction,' Representative Kevin Kiley, Republican of California, said in an interview. He added: 'We are in this moment because of a series of reckless decisions by California's political leaders, the aiding and abetting the open-border policies of President Biden.' Trump officials said on Sunday that they were ready to escalate their response even more, if necessary. Tom Homan, the president's border czar, suggested in an interview with NBC News that the administration would arrest anyone, including public officials, who interfered with immigration enforcement activities, which he said would continue in California and across the country. Image Protesters in Pasadena, Calif., on Sunday. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times Mr. Trump appears to be deploying against California a similar playbook that he has used to punish universities, law firms and other institutions and individuals that he views as political adversaries. Last month, he threatened to strip 'large scale' federal funding from California 'maybe permanently' over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. And in recent days, his administration said it would pull roughly $4 billion in federal funding for California's high-speed train, which would further delay a project that has long been plagued by delays and funding shortages. 'Everything he's done to attack California or anybody he fears isn't supportive of him is going to continue to be an obsession of his,' Mr. Padilla said. 'He may think it plays smart for his base, but it's actually been bad for the country.' White House officials said there was a different common denominator that explains Mr. Trump's actions both against institutions like Harvard and immigration protests in Los Angeles. 'For years Democrat-run cities and institutions have failed the American people, by both choice and incompetence,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. 'In each instance,' she added, 'the president took necessary action to protect Americans when Democrats refused.'
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Anti-ICE protests stop traffic on California's 101 Freeway
California demonstrators protesting the federal immigration raids blocked traffic on a major Los Angeles freeway. NBC News' David Noriega reports on the continuing anti-ICE protest.
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Democratic Party chair lashes officer in leaked call, prompting more infighting
Months of infighting at the Democratic National Committee escalated into a new round of open warfare Sunday, with several top party officials accusing an embattled member of their leadership team of leaking a portion of a private and emotional meeting. During a May 15 Zoom meeting, DNC Chair Ken Martin said he had recently questioned whether he wanted to continue in his role and blamed Vice Chair David Hogg for destroying his ability to lead the party, according to a portion of the audio posted by Politico. After the leaked audio was published Sunday, five of the nine DNC leaders on the Zoom call at the time of the leaked clip closed ranks around Martin and accused Hogg, or people associated with him, of leaking it, in statements and interviews with The Washington Post. None provided evidence for their claims. Hogg denied leaking the audio. The DNC officials who pointed fingers at Hogg included fellow vice chair Malcolm Kenyatta, who said Hogg 'proves he has no relationship with integrity if he's willing to record and leak private conversations'; Association of State Democratic Committees President Jane Kleeb, who said 'the deliberate leaking of private conversations — by David Hogg and his allies must stop'; and DNC Secretary Jason Rae, who said 'there is no doubt in my mind that David Hogg leaked this recording.' 'Does David Hogg benefit from this? Yes,' said Washington Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad, who would face Hogg if the DNC votes to hold a new election this week. Martin declined to comment on the source of the leak, but said in a statement about the call that he is not going anywhere and that he took 'this job to fight Republicans, not Democrats.' Hogg, who is facing a possible ouster this week as part of a separate dispute, denied leaking the audio in a statement posted on X on Sunday afternoon. 'A lot of people are accusing me of leaking this recording. These are the messages from the reporter who wrote the story,' said Hogg, who in his post shared a screenshot showing he did not appear to respond to texts from the reporter who broke the story contacting him for comment. The open hostilities come as the party debates larger questions over rebuilding its reputation and winning back core voters following a disastrous 2024 election that saw Republicans win the presidency and both chambers of Congress. An April Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that Americans see the Democratic Party as somewhat more out of touch 'with the concerns of most people' than either President Donald Trump or the Republican Party. The skirmish over the meeting and the leak is the latest in an increasingly bitter fight over Hogg's April announcement that he would back primary challengers to incumbent House Democrats. Some DNC members are uneasy with Hogg serving as a party officer while doing so, concerned that it gives the appearance that the DNC is interfering in primary contests. Martin has said he is committed to introducing a pledge that 'will require all party officers — including myself — to remain neutral in primaries' to 'ensure no party official can abuse their position to tilt the outcome of an election.' In the May 15 Zoom meeting, Martin said 'I don't know if I want to do this anymore,' and told Hogg 'you essentially destroyed any chance I have to show the leadership that I need to.' Hogg, a 25-year-old gun-control activist who survived the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, was elected to his DNC role in February and is the first Gen Z member to serve as a vice chair. In April, he announced a $20 million effort to challenge 'out-of-touch, ineffective' incumbent House Democrats in party primaries, which he has framed as a way to get Democrats into 'fighting shape.' Hogg has said he would only back challengers in safe Democratic districts. Critics of the effort have called it a distraction and argued that it will divert resources and distract from taking back control of the U.S. House. Last month a DNC panel found that Hogg and Kenyatta were not properly elected earlier this year, setting off a process that could lead to their ouster. The challenge that prompted those findings, involving the party's gender diversity rules, came before Hogg's announcement that he would get involved in primaries. It was filed by Kalyn Free, an Oklahoma activist who unsuccessfully sought one of the vice chair slots in the Feb. 1 election. But the primary debate has led some DNC members to view the vote as a convenient way to get rid of Hogg and the drama around him, while others have warned that his removal would send a bad message about the party's unity and outreach to young voters. Hogg, in a statement after the panel's decision, said it is 'impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.' On Monday, the DNC will begin an electronic vote on the committee's resolution. If the full body accepts it, new elections will be held for two vice chair positions; if it's rejected, Hogg and Kenyatta will maintain their positions. The new elections, which would begin later this week, would be limited to the same five candidates who ran in February: Hogg, Kenyatta, Free, Kansas Democratic Party Chair Jeanna Repass and Conrad.
