Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi counted among “50 Most Powerful” Chicagoans by Chicago Magazine

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According to the influential Chicago Magazine’s 2024 list, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is among the 50 most powerful people in the area, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Governor Pritzker, Senator Tammy Duckworth, entrepreneurs and heads of sports teams.

Ranked 24, Krishnamoorthi represents the northwest suburbs in Chicagoland, “and used his former perch as chairman of a House Oversight subcommittee to investigate everything from the Washington Commanders to the baby formula shortage.”

Krishnamoorthi has $14.4 million in his campaign coffers, according to Chicago Magazine. And that is more than three times as much as any other congressional representative from Illinois, and the third-highest total in the entire Congress.

“Raja is a huge player across the country,” says a political consultant. In 2022, Krishnamoorthi donated $460,000 to Democratic candidates and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, but he is said to be stockpiling his campaign cash to run for the Senate in 2026 if Dick Durbin retires.

Another South Asian American on the list is NBA reporter Shams Charania, born in Chicago to Ismaili parents hailing from Pakistan. He is ranked 44^th on the list.

“Information is power,” notes Chicago Magazine when listing Charania.

“And when it comes to the NBA, few people know more about what’s happening than Charania, a reporter for the New York Times–owned website the Athletic and Chicago–based Stadium and a panelist on Run It Back, FanDuel’s weekday NBA show.

Charania is a graduate of The New Trier and Loyola University.

He is described as one of the two “most connected” NBA reporters, along with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“He’s on the phone 18 hours a day chatting with agents, GMs, and players. He’s so clued in that Warriors coach Steve Kerr even accused him of having a mole in the locker room,” Chicago Magazine quipped.