Friday, March 5, 2010

Krishnamoorthi Seeks Lt Gov Positon on Democratic Ticket

Release from the Krishnamoorthi Campaign

Raja (RAH-jah) Krishnamoorthi (krish-nah-MOOR-thee) today submitted his application to the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee to be considered as the party's Lieutenant Governor nominee.

"I am a Democrat because the Democratic Party has never settled for the status quo," Krishnamoorthi wrote in his application. "The Democratic Party has always believed that government can be a force for good and that no one should be left behind."

Krishnamoorthi emphasized his unique appeal as a Lieutenant Governor nominee with a strong electoral performance in the 2010 Democratic primary for Comptroller in the two key battlegrounds for the November general election: the Chicago suburbs and Downstate.

Krishnamoorthi, who garnered roughly 384,000 votes statewide but lost the Democratic nomination for Comptroller by less than 1% of the votes cast, won 22 out of the 30 Cook County suburban townships with a 52-41% margin of victory.


He swept all of the Chicago collar counties (DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, Kendall, McHenry) by a total of 60-33%.

Krishnamoorthi was raised in Peoria, and he handily won by 52-41% in the 26 counties throughout central Illinois that include the communities of Bloomington, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, Peoria and Springfield.

The general election will be a hard-fought contest and require every financial resource at the Democratic Party's disposal to retain the Governor's Office.

Krishnamoorthi raised more than $1.1 million for his primary campaign, a record for a non-incumbent running for Comptroller, according to information available on the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

If elected as Lieutenant Governor, Krishnamoorthi would be the first Asian-American to hold any elected state office in Illinois, and he would be the first Peorian to hold statewide constitutional office since 1941.

In its endorsement of Krishnamoorthi for Comptroller, the Chicago Tribune wrote that Democrats could "opt for a fresh perspective" with Krishnamoorthi, who they called a "game-changer" because of his "innovative ideas" to "make all of state government more transparent, efficient and honest."

When the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee meets later in March to select a nominee for Lieutenant Governor, Democrats have an opportunity to change the game by selecting Krishnamoorthi.

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