Politics
Amid Controversy Sparked by Chuy García’s Resignation, Patty Garcia Vows to Stand on Her Own
Video: Congressional candidate Patty Garcia appears on “Chicago Tonight” on Nov. 20, 2025. (Produced by Bridgette Adu-Wadier)
Patty Garcia, handpicked by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” García to replace him in the U.S. House of Representatives, vowed Thursday to stand on her own and earn the support of residents across the city’s Southwest Side.
During an appearance on WTTW News’ “Chicago Tonight,” Patty Garcia acknowledged that the congressman’s decision not to announce his retirement until after the deadline to qualify for the March primary election had triggered a political firestorm.
“This isn’t a done deal,” Patty Garcia said, noting that members of the Republican and a third party filed to run to represent the district drawn to include a significant majority of Democratic voters. “I’m taking this seriously, and I’m going out to every voter, to every municipality, to every neighborhood and ward.”
Patty Garcia, 40, is likely to be the only Democrat on the March ballot, but could face a serious challenge during next November’s general election. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th Ward) and others are weighing a bid for the congressional seat that will have been held by Chuy García for eight years, but face a steep climb to qualify for the ballot as independent candidates.
Patty Garcia, whose parents were born in Mexico, grew up in Little Village before attending Chicago Public Schools and the University of Illinois, where she earned a doctorate in education policy. Patty Garcia and Chuy García are not related.
Patty Garcia, who has worked for Chuy García since 2019 and became his chief of staff in 2023, said she spent two days collecting signatures, but did not answer a question about whether the congressman should have said publicly what he told her, and the members of his political organization, on Oct. 31.
Petitions to run for the Democratic nomination were due at 5 p.m. Nov. 3, giving her less than two weekdays to collect the required 685 signatures from registered voters.
At the same time, federal agents were conducting a series of aggressive immigration raids in Little Village, the heart of the 4th Congressional District.
“It was a whirlwind,” Patty Garcia said. “It was a roller coaster of one, emotions, but also, now we need to get on the ballot, right? And so that was the priority to ensure that we get on the ballot.”
Patty Garcia said anyone who wanted to challenge the congressman could have collected petitions and filed to run against him. In 2024, Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) ran unsuccessfully against Chuy García.
The U.S. House voted 238-186 Tuesday to rebuke Chuy García, with more than two dozen House Democrats, including two members of Illinois’ Democratic congressional delegation, voting for the resolution, along with all Republicans.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez, a Democrat from Washington state, said Chuy García’s decision to keep his planned retirement a secret amounted to “election subversion.”
“There are other, more important issues that matter,” Patty Garcia said. “People care about, can I get food on the table? Can I pay the rent? Can I put my child through child care, right? Those are the real issues that matter to voters, not the insider kind of drama between one member or another member.”
If elected, Patty Garcia said she would push to reform an immigration “system that has completely vilified and criminalized immigrants and separated families” and work to create a pathway to citizenship and work permits for longtime immigrants.
Patty Garcia said she would also prioritize education, and work to ensure district residents have access to affordable higher education.
Longtime political observers in Illinois know that Chuy García is not the first Illinois politician to keep a lid on his decision to drop a reelection bid until his favored candidate can step up.
In 2004, former U.S. Rep. Bill Lipinski filed to run for reelection, but withdrew from the race and ensured that his son, Dan Lipinski, took his place on the ballot. That maneuver, long a tool in the playbook drafted and perfected by the Democratic machine built and perfected by former Mayors Richard J. and Richard M. Daley, drew little attention outside Illinois.
But Chuy García, 69, has long cast himself, and the formidable political operation he built over decades, as a progressive foil to the officials who ran Chicago for decades who were known for exploiting the nuances of election law for their benefit without apology.
Chuy García, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015 and 2023, was a close ally of former Mayor Harold Washington, and a founding member of the Rainbow Coalition that revolutionized Chicago politics.
Chuy García’s election to the Chicago City Council 1986 helped Washington end the so-called Council Wars and prevent a group of White alderpeople led by convicted former Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward) from blocking the mayor’s initiatives and appointments. Washington died in 1987.
Chuy García served in government at nearly all levels during his nearly half-century career in Illinois politics, including in the General Assembly, Cook County Board and U.S. House of Representatives.
Chuy García, first elected in 2018 to represent Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, was former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez’s pick after his retirement. Gutiérrez announced he would not seek reelection just a few days before the deadline for candidates to file their own petitions.
Chuy García forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff in 2015 after he took the place of former Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis after she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Lewis died in 2021.
Chuy García finished fourth during the 2023 mayoral campaign, and endorsed Mayor Brandon Johnson in the runoff against former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas.
Chuy García told the Capitol Fax blog his doctor advised him not to run again because of his heart condition, as did his spouse, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. Chuy García and his wife just finalized the adoption of a grandchild after the death of his daughter.
Chuy García is one of five members of Illinois’ congressional delegation who are not running for reelection. U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly are running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, while Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis are retiring.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
