Raja Gives Closing Pitch to Voters on Restoring the American Dream

This winter, Raja unveiled a comprehensive affordability plan to lower costs, expand opportunity, and protect the American Dream for all Illinoisans
This winter, Raja unveiled a comprehensive affordability plan to lower costs, expand opportunity, and protect the American Dream for all Illinoisans

Raja Gives Closing Pitch to Voters on Restoring the American Dream


With Election Day just days away, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is making a final push across Illinois with a message rooted in his own life story.

With one week remaining before the Illinois primary election, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is making his closing argument to voters across Illinois: the American Dream is slipping away for too many families, and he’s fighting to restore it.

For Krishnamoorthi, the fight to restore the American Dream is deeply personal.

“I’m fighting to protect the American Dream because I have lived it,” said Raja. “My story is proof of the power of the American Dream – a legal immigration system that welcomed my family to this country, food stamps and public housing that got us back on our feet, and public education that allowed me to thrive.”

Krishnamoorthi was just three months old when his parents immigrated to the United States from India. After his father lost his income, food stamps and public housing helped stabilize his family until they were able to rebuild their lives and settle in Peoria. There, public schools helped open doors to opportunity, and loans and grants allowed him to pursue higher education before eventually finding his way to the halls of Congress.

“Only in America is that possible,” Krishnamoorthi said. “But today, that dream is slipping away from far too many Illinois families.”

Across Illinois, he says he is hearing the same concerns from voters: the cost of everyday life is rising faster than wages.

“Everywhere I go in Illinois, I hear the same thing: hardworking people are struggling just to stay afloat while the promise of financial stability slips further and further out of reach,” he said.

 To address those concerns, Krishnamoorthi has put forward a sweeping 24-point Plan to Restore the American Dream and Make Life More Affordable. The plan includes proposals to lower the cost of prescription drugs, help first-time homebuyers afford a home, expand career and technical education programs, invest in small businesses and family farms, and eliminate federal taxes on Social Security benefits.

“My plan proposes targeted policies at every stage of life,” he said. “From making sure children have free lunch in school, to helping families afford groceries and utilities, to making sure seniors can retire with dignity.”

Krishnamoorthi argues that economic instability under the Trump administration has only intensified these pressures.

“The Trump economy is making everything more expensive,” he said. “Prices on housing, health care, prescription drugs, groceries, electricity, and car payments are going through the roof.”

To offer much needed relief, Raja has introduced legislation to reverse cuts to Medicaid and food assistance through his Bringing Back Benefits Act, while also pushing to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that keep health insurance premiums affordable for millions of families.

Even as the campaign enters its final days, Krishnamoorthi continues to show up in communities across the state. On Friday, he joined community members at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition to honor the life and legacy of Reverend Jesse Jackson, celebrating the civil rights leader’s enduring impact.

Later that day, Latino leaders from across Chicago gathered in Humboldt Park’s historic Puerto Rican district for a high-energy “¡Raja No Se Raja!” rally — the title a nod to the Spanish expression meaning “doesn’t back down.” The rally brought together elected officials, small business owners, and community advocates to support a campaign defined by resilience and representation.

Over the week, Raja joined for services in Freeport and Springfield, meeting with congregations across Illinois.

“The most sensitive nerve in the body is the pocketbook nerve,” he said. “That’s why I’m laser-focused on ensuring that every Illinois family can realize the American Dream and find their pathway to success.”

And with Election Day approaching, Krishnamoorthi says he will keep doing what he has done throughout the campaign: meeting voters where they are and fighting for their future.

“I’m running to ensure that every Illinois family — regardless of who they are or how many letters are in their last name — has the chance to succeed.”

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