50 Comments » - Roadrager - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 10:40 am: Raja Krishnamoorthi: Any way the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to him (as long as the checks clear, and they better bleeping clear, you got that?) - Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 10:50 am: ===People have been writing comments here about this issue for months.=== It is good to see some discussion beyond the comments on this blog, I would question the decision of waiting to bring it up until after folks have already been casting ballots, but I suppose they are finance folks after all. ===a nearly round-the-clock fundraising operation=== Raja’s record demonstrates a lot of things, one of those things is that fundraising is one of his major priorities. This means that as a congressman he heard the most from people who could write checks and the biggest checks at that. Talking to folks with a lot of money, regardless of party, tends to create a pretty significant echo chamber. If you’re rich enough to comfortably max out to a congress person during an election cycle the status quo has been working for you. His record also shows that he’ll hang on to millions of dollars for a long time for his own use rather than use it to help expand the Democratic caucus. Something that I am surprised has not been discussed yet is that if elected to the Senate what will Raja do with his time? Will his nick name be Senator Dial for Dollars representing the great state of Call Time? Is his constituency services good? Because an Illinoisan might only hear from him if they can cut a check. - JS Mill - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:04 am: There is not one candidate that I can support. The democrats are all too far to the left for me. And the republicans, well until they de-maga themselves I just cannot consider anything they have to offer. So I will undervote kowing whomever comes out of the democratic primary will be the winner. - low level - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:07 am: News flash: running statewide in Illinois costs money. Raja raised it. Staffers that didnt care for it left. This is a story? I find it incredible he is being criticized when one of his opponents is literally backed by a billionaire. You know what they call politicians who cant raise money? Losers. Raja decided he wanted to compete. That is the American way. - Paul - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:18 am: Greg Hinz at Crain’s has been writing about Raja’s fundraising prowess for ages. It’s nothing new. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/krishnamoorthi-has-19m-senate-bid-more-rivals-combined/ - Ted - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:20 am: ===From Rich: Kelly has been giving me 1992 “Year of the woman” Carol Moseley Braun vibes of late.=== Rich, I have heard this a couple of times in the last few weeks and I think it’s a really interesting thought. I wonder if it’s an intentional effort on Kelly’s part or if it’s just a coincidence. Either way, it does seem to be her main path, with how down in the mud the other two have gone. - Almost the Weekend - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:21 am: If Stratton’s Team was smart they could have played the “Katie Porter” card on Raja. When you have three candidates who are going to vote near-identical you are not wanting to have someone represent you who treats people and his staff like garbage. - Steph's curry - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:22 am: I did a lot of underrating in this election. Hoping that my cast ballot will get me off of call sheets for a while. - elmhurst - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:24 am: If you aren’t a machine candidate or you aren’t supported by the machine, you need to build your own machinery. That’s why everyone resents him. He raises a ton of money on his own, works hard at it, too. Gave money for the DNC and the convention too but that isn’t enough to mollify the haters. - Responsa - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:28 am: Raja had a moment here when he could have safely stood apart just a wee bit-just an inch from his competitors. He could have said “I have serious questions about the conflict with Iran but I don’t think it’s wise to make any statement about supporting additional funding or not until I am seated and we all have accurate information on the status of the war at that time. It may be over by next year. I hope it is” These Senate candidates all seem to be sort of oblivious to how many undecideds and Independents there are out in the electorate. - Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:43 am: I keep waiting for one of the candidates to say or do something that distinguishes them from others. A new idea or interesting policy from anyone would be most welcome. Instead, they keep bickering about donors, process, ect. Whoever I vote for will earn my vote by default more than anything. - Is There Hope - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:46 am: Just confirms everyone’s worst suspicions about Raja: that he will be Illinois’ Schumer/Jeffries and will never be a profile in courage. The cliche is that most politicians fundraise first and legislate second, but I’ve never gotten the impression from his “policies” or debate performances that Raja has strong opinions about issues, a scary prospect in a scary time. Durbin was part of the “traitor” democrats who voted to end the shut down for a promise of “future votes” on healthcare subsidies (how did that work out?) and I have no doubts that Raja would have done the same. If Raja somehow becomes senator, he will be primaried in 2032. He’ll know that and spend 6 years prioritizing fundraising even more because he learned that burying opponents money early is the only way he was competitive statewide, not on the issues. Illinois deserves better. - Chat_BP3 - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:53 am: “could have played the “Katie Porter” card on Raja.” I’m sure if a video or recording like the Porter video existed, it would be out there. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:53 am: Democrats have become an astroturf party, bombarding voters with fundraising texts and emails, but no human contact. “or the congressman would lose his temper” But just call him Raja, the nice guy. Phony, apparently. Shocking. - Chicago Voter - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:54 am: I have been hearing horror stories for years about how Raja treats his staff and not just fundraisers. Even campaign staff going back a few cycles have had issues with him. I think if you looked at the turnover rate in congressional offices it would definitely tell a story. How you treat staff/employees says a lot about character. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:54 am: ===oblivious to how many undecideds and Independents there are out in the electorate=== Have you read a poll lately? Being anti-Trump is not an unpopular opinion among those people you just pointed to. - Frida's Boss - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:56 am: Raja, is a fundraising machine. He can’t just write checks to himself or his selected candidates the way a billionaire can. He knew when the time came to run for higher office he would need massive money. Any politician with sense knew that one day Durbin leaving would be a massive multimillion dollar race. Raja did his homework and prepared. Julianna didn’t take that calculation seriously as she always had Big Money JB, or so she thought, willing to float her entire campaign. Julianna could have just as easily had multiple campaign committees set up and she didn’t. She could have had a State fund, a Committeepersons fund and Federal fund all out raising money for the last 8 years and distributing the wealth to community groups etc, building an army, she chose not to. She relied on Speaker Madigan and Unions for money and troops vs Rauner in ‘16, now she’s relying on JB for today’s adventure. Maybe if JB hadn’t thrown Robin out of leadership a deal could’ve been cut but that ship sailed once he and his team were backdooring her role as the leader of the Dem party. Hell hath no fury….. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:56 am: ===Raja’s fundraising prowess=== You missed the point, likely on purpose. - Roadrager - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:57 am: ==News flash: running statewide in Illinois costs money. Raja raised it. Staffers that didnt care for it left. This is a story? I find it incredible he is being criticized when one of his opponents is literally backed by a billionaire.== One’s job as congressperson is not supposed to be “raising money to stay in office to make more money for one’s self.” It is supposed to be serving one’s constituents, as Pollyanna as that sounds in 2026. Raja keeps being hesitant before dipping his toe in on what polling increasingly shows to be widespread Democratic voter sentiments, like abolishing ICE or standing against the current nonsensical war effort, in a solidly blue state. And it’s clear that the hesitancy comes in part.from Raja quietly crunching the numbers on potential contribution losses from places like private prison contractors or defense contractors, because hey it all spends the same. A refusal to fully support constituent values because “that’s not how things are done here” while Republicans steamroll through with whatever they want plucked from some alternate plane of reality is pure, uncut Durbinism, and the support of that approach more or less ends at K Street nowadays. ==You know what they call politicians who cant raise money? Losers. Raja decided he wanted to compete. That is the American way.== And for that, you can send a thank-you card to the Roberts Court. Just kake sure you write “MONEY INSIDE” on the envelope, or they’ll likely never open it. - low level - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 11:58 am: == he will be Illinois’ Schumer/Jeffries and will never be a profile in courage.== Tell me three votes Raja has taken during his career you disagree with. - Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:02 pm: === You know what they call politicians who cant raise money? Losers. Raja decided he wanted to compete. That is the American way. === I am a Stratton supporter, but I have to agree. Raising money is a necessary part of an elected official’s job, and if you want higher office, you will need more money. It is even more so in a federal race since their rules are different. At the end of the day, however, effective candidates should be able to fundraise, legislate, provide great constituent services and do their best to help the people of their district or state. Good legislators would have separate staff to perform these different functions so that there is no burnout, and if Raja was running his staff ragged, that is on him. But if a congressperson or candidate is able to raise the money while doing all of the other things an effective leader does, I have no issue with that. - Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:05 pm: === If you aren’t a machine candidate or you aren’t supported by the machine === Guess what? There is no machine anymore. Every candidate has to put in the work to ensure their candidacies are successful. If you can’t do that, you probably will not win. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:09 pm: ===Raising money is a necessary part of an elected official’s job=== Agreed. However, we’re in a time when candidates can raise more money than anyone else only to be overwhelmed by crypto bros, DraftKings, AIPAC, etc. Biss has a strong fundraising record in CD9. But he cannot compete with the outside money from billionaires. https://www.dailyherald.com/20260310/us-congress-politics/biss-entered-final-weeks-of-9th-district-race-with-the-most-campaign-cash/ - Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:12 pm: I’m sorry for the spam-like commenting, but I have one more thought. I understand that all three candidates will have similar positions on the issues, and would likely have similar voting records. But there are other ways to distinguish yourself. Talk about what you have done in your careers, the leadership you provided on tough issues, highlight how you have connected with constituents and helped them navigate the red tape of critical government services. This shouldn’t be so hard. I believe the current campaigns have not been particularly inspiring and that is the biggest shame coming out of this cycle. Barack Obama did not become Senator Obama by bashing his opponents on their fundraising. He did it by providing vision and giving people hope that he is going to make their lives better. Unfortunately, I think the campaign messaging this cycle is exclusively the product of political consultants that are out of touch with the residents of this state, and I think it is a shame. - Fred Garvin - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:26 pm: The polling for Democrats is dire. 18% approve of way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job. Gallup had approval of Democrats in 2025 at 34%, the lowest since 1992. Independents gave them 27% approval. The ads running nonstop will do nothing to rehabilitate them Luckily they can’t run them on Netflix - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:28 pm: ===The polling for Democrats is dire.=== lol Now look at the generic ballot. C’mon. You’re not on Facebook here. - Padraig - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:47 pm: Beyond the fundraising discussion, what has Raja’s record been in terms of constituent service and bringing in federal dollars for his district. Can someone from his district chime in? - Steve - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:00 pm: -18% approve of way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job.- These sorts of numbers never matter. You can’t beat something with nothing. This is a blue state. It’s not a swing state. In this state, a DSA candidate could be a Republican statewide. - 48th Ward Heel - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:06 pm: I also disapprove of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their job. Ask me why [banned punctuation] - Juvenal - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:08 pm: I just want to clarify for the purposes of discussion that Raja’s fundraising goal was to raise so much money that he could defeat any primary candidate for Durbin’s Senate seat. Not so that he could hold onto his current job in Congress, share that dough to help Democrats win back the House, or defeat a Republican in the General election for US Senate. Every time Durbin’s retirement has come up over the last decade, “look at how much Raja has raised” always came up. Always. Context is important. In a Democratic primary, a liberal candidate, popular Cook County candidate, or a Black candidate has a huge advantage if spending is roughly equal. But Black candidates traditionally do not have the same access to wealthy donors that other candidates do, so they almost always face some fundraising disadvantage. Raja’s primary focus in Congress according to this article wasn’t representing his constituents, but ensuring that the fundraising disadvantage for a Black opponent would be not minor or consequential, but insurmountable. Again: to keep a Black person from being elected US Senator. Raja created a situation where the only way a Black candidate could win is if they already had a large political base and name ID (Raoul, for example) or if they had a megadonor. That Bloomberg did not show up for Robin Kelly again is notable. I cannot ignore the fact that she used to be Raja’s boss, that they both worked for Alexi, and that there is a quiet battle going on over who will be next mayor, and it is doubtful Alexi is JB’s first pick. - low level - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:12 pm: I’m still waiting on those who feel Raja has no substance or is somehow not a Democrat to tell me three votes they disagree with. If he is such a DINO, surely you can provide numerous instances over his career where he has gone against the party. Any takers? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:21 pm: ===I’m still waiting on=== This ain’t your blog. - Scorekeeper - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:22 pm: I’ve been mildly surprised that this or other highlights from Krishnamoorthi’s frequent appearances on @dearwhitestaffers didn’t come up sooner. There have been some pretty detailed examples of his staff treatment and priorities there over the years. But I’m biased, having worked against him in the past. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:28 pm: ==I’m still waiting on those who feel Raja has no substance== Being a United States Senator is a totally different ballgame than being in the House. - Leslie K - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:38 pm: ==nor did he raise his voice== You don’t have to raise your voice to treat your employees poorly and disrespectfully. The most clever of the bad bosses actually manage to do it without raising their voice. - granville - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:40 pm: == Durbin was part of the “traitor” democrats who voted to end the shut down for a promise of “future votes” on healthcare subsidies (how did that work out?) == Whatever someone’s other issues with him, this wasn’t a vote based on principle. Durbin and the other “traitors” voted because they were retiring or not up for re-election and took a bullet for the Democrats that were. It wasn’t a case of Durbin and the others going rogue. - Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:40 pm: ===Democrats have become an astroturf party=== How I use the term in political discussion is that astroturf is to mean fake grass. As in fake grass roots or fake grass tops. An “astroturf campaign” would include those folks with clipboards trying to raise money for some organization with a nice sounding name that isn’t actually an organization. Astroturf campaigns can still do voter contact. They can still hold events. What you’re describing is the impact that folks have in the belief that traditional forms of voter contact via phone call and door knocking is not as effective as it used to be. One can actually look at data over the last 20 years and see a drop off in contact rates. Especially if the campaign does the “don’t leave messages” thing in an effort to increase attempts. Anecdotes I have heard from folks doing or organizing field work is that the extent to which they knock on a door and people who are home that refuse to answer is much, much higher than it used to be. - Friendly Bob Adams - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:00 pm: …”a nearly round-the-clock fundraising operation” sounds like a wise move in a very competitive election. - Remember the Alamo II - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:24 pm: === Anecdotes I have heard from folks doing or organizing field work is that the extent to which they knock on a door and people who are home that refuse to answer is much, much higher than it used to be. === May be true in some communities, but from my experience those anecdotes are not reflective of reality. - Unionman - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:27 pm: If the Dems are worried about Raja, just remember its all the Tea Party’s fault. Joe Walsh won the 8th in the Tea Party, Duckworth promptly beat him 2 years later. Then she used that platform to beat Kirk after Kirk’s stroke, Raja then took the district, to now jump to the Senate. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:42 pm: Unionman, you forgot about redistricting. - Mammas Dont Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be CapFax Commenters - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 3:19 pm: ==Kelly has been giving me 1992 “Year of the woman” Carol Moseley Braun vibes of late.== I doubt she even gets Albert Hofeld levels of support. - Patti - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 3:43 pm: The criticism of Raja for being a prodigious fundraiser is bizarre. So you’re only allowed to run for Senate if you have a billionaire backing you? Where is the criticism of Stratton for her entire campaign being funded by a billionaire? - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 3:57 pm: - The criticism of Raja for being a prodigious fundraiser is bizarre. - As with others here you either lack reading comprehension or are deliberately missing the point. The criticism is that he was a jerk to his employees. - Sue - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 4:18 pm: As I don’t vote in Dem primaries the senate campaigns all are just entertainment- Stratton complaining about Raj fundraising while taking 15 million( will be 20) from the Governor- if i had to vote I would pick Kelly as she seems to be a decent and dedicated public servant and the most human of the 3- my one hope is JB blows /0 million and Stratton is crushed by 10 - Roadrager - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 4:20 pm: And, as has been stated multiple times by multiple people since this campaign began, the criticism is that Raja prioritizes fundraising above his duties as a legislator. Yes, it is regrettably part of the job. In no way, shape, or form should it be the biggest and most important part of the job. - Decatur - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 4:25 pm: There are three approaches to successful fundraising: 1. Mega self-wealth (Pritzker, Rauner, Oberweiss): Big help but can cut against because it spares you having to mix it up with people and hone a message. 2. Have others do it for you (Richard M. Daley, Mike Madigan): empower someone(s) to basically do all this for you and you just swoop in on the big fish and attend events. Very effective but requires prestige to pull off. 3. Crazed drive and hustle bordering on obsession (Rahm, Raja): just unrelentingly hammer people to the point of turning them off. Caveats: two modern-era candidates do/did #3 from a drive perspective without offending people: Alexi and Cheri Bustos. It’s rare but it can happen. - old guy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 5:32 pm: I leaned toward Robin, but didn’t see a path for her to win the primary. Voted for Raja instead. Met him over the weekend and was impressed w/ his knowledge on a rather obscure current issue. Feel comfortable about his skill. - K3 - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 7:38 pm: I have never heard of a Member of Congress who didn’t get impatient or upset with staff during call time. At least the ones who take raising money seriously-or are in competitive districts. - Old IL Dude - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 8:45 pm: I’m going for Kelly, as she seems like she truly wants the job and cares for her district. Her latest ad says she’s voting for Medicare for All, which is a healthcare policy I’m interested in. Stratton and Raja haven’t articulated much in regards to healthcare. Stratton completely lost me with her ads of screaming in front of the Fine Arts Building and the F Trump/”They Said It — Not ME” ad. TrackBack URI Anonymous commenters, uncivil comments, rumor-mongering, disinformation and profanity of any kind will be deleted. Name/Nickname - Required (required) E-mail - Not required (not required) URL - Not required