Raja Krishnamoorthi, a longtime friend of President Barack Obama, formally announced his candidacy for Illinois comptroller this past Monday. From his hometown paper in Peoria:

"State government is broken, and it's time to start fixing it," he said. "I love our state too much to sit idly by while the political insiders and influence peddlers exploit our government and rip off our people."

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Standing by his side was his wife, Priya, and his two sons, Vijay, 4, and Vikram, 3 months.

"I'm very proud of him," Priya Krishnamoorthi said afterward. "I think he has the right ideals."

Krishnamoorthi said he was glad to be able to make the announcement in the town where he was raised.

"These are the people who know me best," he said. "And it's wonderful they could come out to witness an important chapter in my family's life."

We've covered his campaign here and here.

If Krishnamoorthi wins, he would become the first Asian American to hold elected statewide office in Illinois.

Here's also bonus footage of him at the state fair.