Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., has decided not to run for his seat again in the next election and has timed his announcement in a way that virtually guarantees his chief of staff will take his place, according to reports. Some people are criticizing this as an old-school, insider political move, where powerful figures often control their successor by making backroom deals instead of leaving it up to voters in an open process.
Filing before the deadline
On Oct. 27, García, 69, submitted the required paperwork to the Illinois State Board of Elections to get his name on the ballot for re-election to his 4th Congressional District seat. Just before the filing deadline, which was Monday at 5 p.m., García’s chief of staff, Patty García (no relation), also filed her own petitions to run for García’s seat.
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Now, the incumbent congressman plans to withdraw, effectively leaving his chief of staff as the only well-positioned candidate for his seat, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
García’s move comes at a politically sensitive time for Illinois Democrats, who are thinking about redrawing the state’s congressional maps. By paving the way for his Latina chief of staff to take his place in his safely Democratic district, García would ensure continuity in Latino representation.
‘Insider politics’
However, critics see it as a sneaky, insider political move.
“Phony reformer Cong. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia orchestrated his decision not to run to make it all but impossible to have his handpicked successor challenged,” former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas wrote on X. “The 4th District will not be allowed a choice, and there’s little to no democracy on display as party bosses and incumbents have picked his successor.”
Another vocal critic is Raymond Lopez, a Chicago alderman who ran against García in the most recent Democratic primary election.
“Chuy coronates his Chief of Staff to replace him using same machine tactics that got him the seat from Luis Gutierrez, denies a true open primary like every other open congressional district race but hey, #NoKings right? #Hypocrites,” Lopez wrote on X.
García’s political legacy
Lopez is referring to how García got elected to his current position as a U.S. representative. Since 2018, he’s been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Illinois’ 4th District in Congress. The person who held the seat before García was Luis Gutiérrez, who also unexpectedly decided to announce that he would not run for re-election just days before the filing deadline to collect signatures to replace him.
When Gutiérrez made his retirement announcement, he quickly endorsed García to take his place. Politico reported at the time that talks between Gutiérrez and Garcia had been ongoing for days before the announcement. This left any potential competitors for the seat with just days to gather thousands of signatures.
García has been involved in Chicago’s political scene for about 40 years and is a well-known, established political figure. Over the years, he’s held several government positions, including serving as an alderperson for the Chicago City Council, a Cook County commissioner, a state senator and a two-time mayoral candidate.
He’s originally from the Mexican state of Durango and moved to Chicago in 1965, The Chicago Sun-Times reports.
