Following his announcement May 9, 2025, that he was launching his campaign for the US Senate seat vacated by veteran Senator Dick Durbin, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi began a hectic schedule of events to kick off his campaign.
Starting from his hometown of Peoria, Illinois, Krishnamoorthi went to Chicago and Schaumburg, in every stop emphasizing his goal was to “stand up” to President Trump, in his fight for families across the state. To start the day, Krishnamoorthi was joined by his wife Priya, his parents, former classmates, and old friends to kick off the campaign outside his childhood home in Peoria, Illinois. Introduced by Peoria County Democrats President Rick Fox, Krishnamoorthi said, “This is the community that shaped who I am today. It taught me the values of respect and helping each other. I would not be who I am but for Peoria.”
Next, he hosted an event outside a Roscoe Village Jewel-Osco to announce the first endorsement of the U.S. Senate primary after he earned the support of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 881, where he was joined by the organization’s leaders.
“From the aisles of our grocery stores to our favorite neighborhood restaurants and shops, Local 881 UFCW keeps Chicago and Illinois running,” Krishnamoorthi said, adding, “Local 881 is setting the standard for what it means to protect working families, and I am deeply honored to have earned their support.”
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local represents some 34,000 workers. The UFCW President Steve Campbell said, “Local 881 UFCW is proud to support Raja Krishnamoorthi for U.S. Senate because now more than ever, Illinois workers need a fighter. Raja has been a steadfast ally for nearly a decade in Washington and was one of the very first people to stand next to us in the fight to prevent a corporate merger that would have cut jobs and driven up food prices for families.”
Powell went on to say, “He fought with us, and we won – and that’s what he’ll continue to do in the U.S. Senate. A first-generation kid from Peoria who worked fast food jobs and hourly shifts to help his family and get through school, we know that Raja is the champion working people need in the U.S. Senate.” UFCW members are employed in retail food and drug stores, health and nursing home workers, barbers and cosmetologists, and workers in other retail and service industries. Local 881 is among the largest affiliates of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million members.
“We’re going to go throughout the state. We’re going to earn every single vote and go to every single community because there are only two options in light of Donald Trump: you either give in, or you fight. And I say we fight: we fight for our families, we fight for our communities, we fight for our state, and we fight for our country,” Krishnamoorthi said, according to a Fox 32 Chicago news report. He said he was “deeply honored” to receive UFCW’s support.
He also went to his hometown of Schaumburg, where at the Town Square dozens of longtime supporters, friends, and neighbors gathered to celebrate the launch of his U.S. Senate campaign. Introduced by Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly, Raja addressed the crowd, saying, “Right now, we are in a moment where a lot of people feel like the American Dream, which my family had the chance to live, is slipping out of their grasp. The economic uncertainty and the chaos under Donald Trump is getting in the way of them reaching their dream,” said Krishnamoorthi. “I am running for the U.S. Senate because I believe that everyone, regardless of where they come from, the color of their skin, or the number of letters in their name – I have twenty-nine in mine – deserves the opportunity to succeed.”
The Congressman has been doing a round of interviews to announce his campaign and his agenda in the first week of the launch of his campaign.
On his X account, RajaForIL, Krishnamoorthi says, “Just call me Raja. Dad of 3. Husband. Fighter. Running for US Senate to stand up to bullies, lower costs for Illinois, and make America work for working people.”
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