Raja Krishnamoorthi

In the 2024 House race for IL-8, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) defeated Mark Rice (R) 57.1% to 42.9%. Raja Krishnamoorthi received 172,920 votes compared to 130,153 for Mark Rice, a comfortable 14.1-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

As the incumbent, Raja Krishnamoorthi benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2022 House race for IL-8, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) defeated Chris Dargis (R) 56.9% to 43.1%. Raja Krishnamoorthi received 117,880 votes compared to 89,335 for Chris Dargis, a comfortable 13.8-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

As the incumbent, Raja Krishnamoorthi benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Biden was in office).

In the 2020 House race for IL-8, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) defeated Preston Nelson (L) 73.2% to 26.8%. Raja Krishnamoorthi received 186,251 votes compared to 68,327 for Preston Nelson, a dominant 46.3-point margin reflecting a safely partisan district.

This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2020 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket. The wide margin suggests this district is firmly in the Democrat column for the foreseeable future.

In the 2018 House race for IL-08, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) defeated Jitendra \jd\ Diganvker (R) 66.0% to 34.0%. Raja Krishnamoorthi received 130,054 votes compared to 67,073 for Jitendra \jd\ Diganvker, a dominant 31.9-point margin reflecting a safely partisan district.

As the incumbent, Raja Krishnamoorthi benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Republican in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.

In the 2016 House race for IL-08, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D) defeated Peter Pete Dicianni (R) 58.3% to 41.7%. Raja Krishnamoorthi received 144,954 votes compared to 103,617 for Peter Pete Dicianni, a comfortable 16.6-point margin indicating a moderately safe district.

This was an open-seat race with no incumbent running — Tammy Duckworth (D) previously held the seat. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. The 2016 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.