PEORIA -- For the first time in a long time, a Peoria native likely will be a candidate for a state-wide office, Illinois Comptroller in the 2010 election.
Raja Krishnamoorthl was in Peoria on May 31 to meet with old friends about his candidacy. He is a Richwoods High School graduate who went on to become a Princeton grad in mechanical engineering, a Harvard law grad, a Chicago lawyer who campaigned for his friend, President Barack Obama, and Deputy State Treasurer.
He's now in private law practice in Chicago, where his Richwoods high schools pals, also in Chicago, are working in his campaign.
He would be the first Asian-American elected to a statewide office in Illinois if he can win his race. He was born in India, and brought to the US as an infant.
Raja acknowledged that he has many hurdles to overcome, starting with his difficult name. He needs upwards of $2 million for television ads to sell himself to the voters, he said.
But he's got a lot going for him. He's an articulate, charming, progressive Democrat. He will run, he said, only if the current comptroller, Dan Hymes decides to leave the office to run for another position, likely the US Senate or Illinois governor. Illinois politics will begin to shake out, he said, after the General Assembly adjourns.
Read all about him on his website, and expect to hear more from Raja.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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