What to know about Illinois' 8th Congressional District Democratic primary
Junaid Ahmed, Yasmeen Bankole, Melissa Bean, Sanjyot Dunung, Neil Khot, Kevin Morrison, Dan Tully and Ryan Vetticad are running for the Democratic nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi in the 8th Congressional District, which is anchored in the northwest suburbs.
So what?
Krishnamoorthi is giving up the congressional seat he’s held for nearly a decade to seek retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. The winner of the Democratic primary will be favored in November’s general election over the winner of the Republican field, which includes Kevin Ake, Jennifer Davis, Herbert Hebein and Mark Rice.
What does a U.S. representative do?
Representatives vote on federal laws, advocate for their districts and work to secure federal funding and other resources for constituents.
Why is U.S. representative a powerful position?
Members of Congress vote on laws that affect all Americans.
Who are the candidates?
Junaid Ahmed is a tech entrepreneur who unsuccessfully challenged Krishnamoorthi in the 2022 primary.
Yasmeen Bankole is a Hanover Park village trustee who has worked for both Krishnamoorthi and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Melissa Bean is aiming to take back the seat she held for three terms before losing it to conservative Joe Walsh about 15 years ago.
Sanjyot Dunung runs a global education company and served on a foreign working group under former President Joe Biden.
Neil Khot is a tech services business owner and first-generation Indian immigrant.
Kevin Morrison is a two-term Cook County commissioner and the first openly gay member of the board.
Dan Tully is a former judge advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve and foreign assistance worker for the Department of Commerce who left federal service in protest of Trump administration policies.
Ryan Vetticad worked as a Justice Department data analyst assisting in investigations of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol who resigned in protest when Donald Trump retook the White House.