U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia was publicly criticized on the House floor Wednesday night by a Washington state Democrat who wants lawmakers to adopt a resolution claiming the Chicago Democrat undermined “the process of a free and fair election” by helping his chief of staff take his place on the ballot.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash, read aloud her “privileged resolution” which says, “Garcia’s actions are beneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution.” The resolution was yet another sign of division among House Democrats ahead of the midterms.
“Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the representative from Illinois,” she said.
A “privileged resolution” is used to force a House vote within two congressional workdays. If it isn’t withdrawn, House lawmakers would have to vote on it as soon as next week.
Gluesenkamp Perez also labeled Garcia’s actions “fundamentally undemocratic” in a statement.
“Congressman Chuy García’s stated reasons for retirement are honorable, but his decision to anoint an heir is fundamentally undemocratic. This is the kind of thing that makes folks tune out of electoral politics. And frankly, who’d blame them?” she said. “If we fail to hold our colleagues accountable for this subversion of elections, we own the consequences.”
The Chicago Sun-Times last week reported that Garcia will not seek reelection, leaving in place a succession plan for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, with a widely panned last-minute maneuver that critics called a coronation and a Chicago machine play. Garcia filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections to run for his 4th Congressional District seat on Oct. 27, but his chief of staff filed petitions just ahead of 5 p.m. Nov. 3, the deadline for filing. Garcia is expected to pull his petitions.
The congressman’s office posted on social media Wednesday that his decision not to run was “a deeply personal decision based on his health, his wife’s worsening condition and his responsibility to the grandchildren he is raising after the death of his daughter.”
“He followed every rule and every filing requirement laid out by the State of Illinois,” Garcia’s office said.
His staffers asked fellow Democrats to “show the same compassion and respect that any family would want during a health crisis.”
Chuy Garcia’s wife suffers from multiple sclerosis — and the congressman last week said in an interview that his cardiologist had told him to slow down shortly before he made his decision. He also formally adopted his grandson this month, he said. His daughter died in 2023.
Patty Garcia officially announced her run for the 4th Congressional District seat Wednesday and defended her candidacy.
“It’s an open process. Any person who’s interested in running for office can apply, can circulate their petitions and submit an application. We followed the rules. We collected signatures, and we submitted an application,” she said during her first campaign appearance at a grocery store in her hometown of Cicero. “People can apply at any point. We didn’t stop anybody from applying.”
It took her two days to collect the 2,500 signatures required to get on the March 17 primary ballot.
Little Village resident Lupe Castillo is running for the Republican nomination in the deep-blue district. Bridgeport resident Ed Hershey is running as a candidate of the Working Class Party. And 25th Ward Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez is exploring an independent bid.
Gluesenkamp Perez is among six House Democrats who voted to approve GOP-sponsored legislation that led to the end of the government shutdown — despite rank-and-file Democrats pushing for any such measure to include health care subsidies. Sen. Dick Durbin came under fire this week for doing the same in the Senate.
The Washington Democrat defended her decision, saying in a statement that “the fight to stop runaway health insurance premiums won’t be won by holding hungry Americans hostage.
“The last several weeks have been a case study in why most Americans can’t stand Congress,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “None of my friends who rely on SNAP would want to trade their dinner for an ambiguous D.C. Beltway ‘messaging victory,’ and I’m glad this ugly scene is in the rearview mirror.”