Washington, March 18 Democrat Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has lost the Illinois primary race to Lt Gov Juliana Stratton, who secured the party nomination for the US Senate elections for the seat vacated by incumbent Dick Durbin.
Stratton, who had the support of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, had been trailing Krishnamoorthi in polls until recent weeks. However, a fresh influx of funds from the Governor and a hardening sentiment on immigration issues pushed aside Krishnamoorthi's campaign.
With 92 per cent of votes counted, Stratton had polled over 40 per cent, while Krishnamoorthi secured 33.2 per cent. Robin Kelly, the third contender for the Senate nomination, managed to get 18 per cent votes.
"I called Lt Gov Juliana Stratton and congratulated her on winning this primary. I am confident that she will continue the lasting legacy that Senator Durbin has left behind," Krishnamoorthi said in a post on X late Tuesday night.
Born in 1973 in New Delhi, Krishnamoorthi came to the US as a three-month-old infant when his father moved to Buffalo, New York, to pursue higher education.
"Only in America can an immigrant with a name containing twenty-nine letters go from public housing and food stamps to the halls of Congress. I will continue to fight for our country, the greatest on Earth, to make the United States of America the kind of country we all still believe in," he said.
Illinois will see its fourth Black senator in the Senate if Stratton wins the seat in the November elections. She will face Don Tracy, the former Illinois Republican Party chairman, who has won the Republican primary.
If elected, Stratton would be the sixth Black woman to serve in the Senate, joining Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.
After promising during the campaign to fiercely oppose President Donald Trump and abolish the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, Stratton took an early lead over Krishnamoorthi in the vote count that held up throughout the night.