— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Junaid Ahmed is joining the Democratic race to replace Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in the 8th Congressional District. Ahmed will be a familiar name to voters in the suburban district, having run against Krishnamoorthi in 2022 — and garnered nearly 30 percent of the vote.

“I’ve spent my life rolling up my sleeves — volunteering after natural disasters, distributing food to families in need, organizing and fighting corporate greed. This community welcomed my family and lifted us up. I’ll never forget that,” Ahmed said in a statement ahead of today’s campaign launch. “It’s time we turn the page on the special interests who put profit over people. It’s time we send a progressive fighter to Washington.”