Schaumburg Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi is everywhere these days.
He’s at fundraisers for President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. He’s on your TV screen doing cable hits with Jake Tapper warning Americans about the evils of TikTok. He’s in your emails begging you for campaign donations to top off his $16 million war chest.
Krishnamoorthi is having a buzzy spring following a million-dollar dinner he co-hosted for Biden and the success of his bipartisan bill forcing the Chinese owner of TikTok to divest the social media platform or face a ban in the U.S. The TikTok bill came from Krishnamoorthi’s powerful perch as ranking member of the House of Representatives’ Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, where he and former Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher needled multinational corporations for their work in China and raised alarms over China’s threat to the United States' economic and national security.
When Biden signed the bill in April, it harked back to days of bipartisanship and productivity in Washington. It also marked an inflection point for U.S. policy on China, which national security experts and populists alike have pushed in a more hawkish direction after years of cooperation from neoliberal Americans.
On May 7, TikTok fired back with a lawsuit against the U.S. government arguing the new law would repress free speech. Less than an hour after the suit made news, Krishnamoorthi took a Zoom call with Crain’s in a cramped alcove in the House of Representatives' cloakroom.
“It must look like a hostage video,” he joked after ducking in and out of the conversation to vote on the House floor.
“I think that the law is going to stand up in court. The main argument of the litigants of TikTok, that there's somehow a violation of the First Amendment, doesn't withstand legal scrutiny because there's no First Amendment right to espionage,” Krishnamoorthi said. “This is not a ban. It provides a powerful incentive for ByteDance, which is indisputably controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, to basically divest TikTok. So I feel very good about the law.”
All of that news should bode well for the fourth-term congressman, who seems to be circling Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. But ring up his colleagues in the House or Democratic political consultants to say you’re profiling Raja Krishnamoorthi and more often than not you’ll hear a chortle on the other end of the line. It’s not a laugh signifying endearment and certainly not a sign that the congressman is the heir apparent to Illinois’ senior senator.
“When Durbin does presumably retire, I have to imagine in Illinois (that) likability is going to be a factor, especially amongst his political and elected colleagues,” a Democratic operative told Crain’s. “There’s only so much you can do if you have the money and not the likability.”
The nebulous “likability” factor could pose a real threat in a heated Senate primary in a Midwest state. It’s a catty yet effective political poniard, one once wielded by Krishnamoorthi’s former boss, Barack Obama, against Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential primary. Krishnamoorthi cut his political teeth working under Obama during the early days of the former president's political ascent.
Still, the more concrete and oft-repeated gripe from Democratic donors, politicians and consultants in Illinois is Krishnamoorthi has amassed a massive war chest but hasn’t spread the wealth around his party.
“I think it’s unfortunate that he’s not showing more goodwill with the amount of cash on hand,” the same operative said, noting Krishnamoorthi has started giving more to the Biden Victory Fund. “It would be nice to see him helping Democrats nationally.”
Despite holding a safe seat in the 8th Congressional District, Krishnamoorthi raises campaign funds like it’s going out of style. With $16.3 million cash on hand, he dwarfs others in the Illinois delegation like Reps. Robin Kelly and Lauren Underwood, who hold $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively. When asked about Krishnamoorthi’s fundraising tactics, his supporters and detractors alike use the word “aggressive.”
“There is just that additional scrutiny that comes with having such robust fundraising,” an Illinois Democratic operative said. “He spends more time than others in the delegation doing fundraising. It’s what takes up the majority of his time. That brings more scrutiny — there’s more of a focus on what you’re doing with those funds.”
In the same hard-charging style, Krishnamoorthi and his staff pushed back on the allegation he hoards his campaign cash. They point to $4,000 in donations to Rep. Nikki Budzinski and another $5,000 to Eric Sorenson over the last two years. In April, his Reviving American Jobs Again, or RAJA, PAC gave $100,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, according to his chief of staff, Brian Kaissi.
Critics have also argued Krishnamoorthi doesn’t give enough to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. A recent analysis of member dues by Punchbowl refutes that claim, too, showing he paid 17% more than his dues. Kelly hit 100% of her dues goal, while Underwood reached 5%, according to the report.
“Politically, much of the currency of success is having a good bank account,” said former Rep. Cheri Bustos, one of several sources Kaissi deployed to defend Krishnamoorthi. “To be critical of a member of Congress because he has a healthy campaign account, I just don't think that's a fair criticism.”
Whether Krishnamoorthi’s fundraising for his fellow Democrats is collegial or transactional, he’s already emerging as a big donor gun for Biden in the presidential race. The election, which will pit an octogenarian against a septuagenarian, and Durbin’s eventual retirement date are likely why Krishnamoorthi danced around the question of whether old age impedes the work of government.
“I have some colleagues right now who are much younger than that, and they are having some health issues or health challenges,” Krishnamoorthi said when asked about the graying Senate. “Ultimately, it's up to their constituents to decide what makes sense, in terms of their ongoing leadership.”
Despite chatter of his ambitions, Krishnamoorthi also said he wouldn’t run against Durbin if the senior senator chooses to retain his seat.
“No. I hope Sen. Durbin runs again,” he said. “I'll be the first to endorse him. He's the hardest working senator that I know, and quite frankly, I think he's the hardest working member of the delegation.”
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