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Junaid Ahmed | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1975 or 1976 (age 50–51) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Depaul University (BS) University of Chicago (MBA) |
Junaid Ahmed is a tech entrepreneur who is running for the Democratic Party nomination to the U.S. House to represent Illinois's 8th congressional district, which encompasses parts of Cook County, DuPage County and Kane County. The district is being vacated by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has declared intentions to run for U.S. Senate instead. [1] The Democratic primary is scheduled for March 17, 2026.
Ahmed was born in India, and his parents immigrated to Illinois when he was a child. Growing up in the Chicagoland area, Ahmed’s dad worked multiple jobs.
Ahmed started attending community college, then transferred to DePaul University where he studied computer science, and eventually earned an MBA from the University of Chicago while working through college. [2] Ahmed became a software developer and eventually built his own small business tech company, Saks Technology, now employing more than 20 people in Illinois. [2]
In 2020, he helped launch a nonprofit called Chi-Care that delivers hot meals and survival supplies to unhoused Chicago residents.The organization has delivered over 1 million meals. [3]
The race represents a rare open seat in a heavily Democratic area where the winner of the Democratic primary is very favored to win the general election. This has caused a very crowded primary field with eight candidates filing campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission covering the period up to December 31, 2025. [4]
Considered one of multiple front runners, Ahmed has been endorsed by current representatives Maxwell Frost [5] , Chuy García [6] , Pramila Jayapal [7] , Ro Khanna [8] , Delia Ramirez [9] and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman. [10] He has also been endorsed by two Illinois state senators: Cristina Castro [11] and Rachel Ventura [12]
In addition, Ahmed has the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC [13] , IfNotNow [14] , Justice Democrats [15] , Peace Action [16] , the Progressive Democrats of America [17] , Track AIPAC [18] , the West Suburban Illinois Democratic Socialists of America [19] , and Sunrise Movement Chicago. [20]
Ahmed's priorities include "restoring and expanding federal funding for early childhood education, senior nutrition, and veterans' care; protecting voting rights; providing tax cuts for working families; expanding Medicare coverage and lowering the costs of prescription drugs; ending all U.S. military aid to Israel; realizing self-determiniation for Palestine and ending the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank; expanding Medicaid to cover all uninsured Americans; strengthening clean air and water protections; investing more in clean energy; raising the federal minimum wage; increasing federal funding for public schools; and canceling student loan debt." [21]
One of the major fault lines in the race has been the war in Gaza and Israeli apartheid. AIPAC has coordinated nearly half a million dollars [22] towards the campaign of former Rep. Melissa Bean, another front-runner who is considered a "moderate pro-Israel candidate". [23]
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | Raja Krishnamoorthi (incumbent) | 29,933 | 70.3 | |
| Democratic | Junaid Ahmed | 12,627 | 29.7 | |
Ahmed lives in South Barrington with his wife Sharin and their four children. [2] [25]