Twenty three House Democrats on Tuesday joined Republicans in a resolution admonishing Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s last-minute resignation that paves the way for his chief of staff to be his successor in Congress.
The 236-183 vote happened a day after House leadership tried unsuccessfully to kill the resolution, which ripped wide open a noticeable split in the Democratic Party as they tried to stand united against President Donald Trump’s policies.
While 183 Democrats voted against the resolution, 23 voted in favor.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash, last week 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. Gluesenkamp Perez also labeled Garcia’s actions “fundamentally undemocratic” in a statement.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill, on Tuesday said that while he voted against the resolution for taking up “precious legislative time,” he was “disappointed” in the way Garcia announced his retirement.
“Illinois has a long history of backroom deals and last-minute maneuvers that undermine people’s confidence in politics and politicians,” Schneider said. “I believe such dealings are a disservice to constituents and yet another symptom of a political system that desperately needs repair to restore the trust of the people.”
Garcia penned a “dear colleague” letter urging Democrats to vote against the resolution, claiming he did not personally circulate petitions for his chief of staff, and he reiterated that he is not related to her. Garcia also stressed that he faced primary challengers in his 2018 and 2014 bids, and wrote that “anyone, at any time before the filing deadline could have collected petitions and filed to run.”
Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill, came to Garcia’s defense on Monday on the House floor and declared “shame” on lawmakers for forcing a vote on the resolution.
“To find some outside idea that he has somehow cheated the city of Chicago or the people of the city of Chicago — are you kidding? There has not been one single person that has stood up in Chicago and said that there should be some sort of punishment for our great friend,” Schakowsky said. “…I say, shame on you for deciding that this is the issue that you, who have no idea about the role that Chuy Garcia has played in the city of Chicago and continues to play in the city of Chicago.”
The motion to table the resolution failed on Monday by a vote of 211-206. At a press conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the resolution and also stood up for the Chicago Democrat.
“I do not support the so-called resolution of disapproval, and I strongly support Congressman Chuy Garcia,” Jeffries said. “He has been a progressive champion in disenfranchised communities for decades.”
The Chicago Sun-Times 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 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.”
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.
Mayra Macias, the former executive director of the Latino Victory Fund, is also exploring a bid as an independent candidate.