Acknowledging a “whirlwind of emotions” after her surprise candidacy for Illinois’ 4th Congressional District seat, Patty Garcia swatted down criticism Wednesday that retiring U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia had cleared her path to the Democratic nomination with a maneuver from the old-school playbook of Chicago politics.
Instead, the congressman’s chief of staff-turned-heir apparent, Patty Garcia, said she found herself thrust into the Southwest Side race when health concerns emerged for Chuy Garcia. He turned in papers to run for a fifth term last month but opted against a reelection campaign shortly before last week’s candidate filing deadline, prompting Patty’s last-minute filing.
The congressman didn’t announce his retirement until after the deadline — but anybody else who might’ve considered throwing their hat in the ring had their chance, said Patty Garcia, who’s not related to Rep. Garcia.
“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 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.
Besides Chuy Garcia, who still has to withdraw his petitions, no other Democrats filed for the primary.
But for anyone who would’ve considered running if they had known Chuy Garcia wouldn’t — like Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), who’s exploring an independent bid — that’s on them, Patty Garcia said.
“Every single cycle, the congressman has had a challenger. Every single cycle,” she said. “Like every cycle, we expected other people to be on the ballot, and there are. People have a choice. There are two other candidates on the ballot, and know that I will do everything in my power to be able to connect with voters, and earn their trust — re-earn their trust for anyone who may be doubting it.”
Standing alongside her family and supporters including state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, and Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd), Patty Garcia said the preceding week “has been a whirlwind of emotions.”
“For those that are saying like, ‘Oh, this was planned,’ — it wasn’t. Those that know me know that I plan and I organize ahead and I’ve got everything set up. Some people here didn’t know we were doing this till yesterday, because that’s how we’ve been planning,” she said.
The 40-year-old, who has worked in Chuy Garcia’s office since 2019, vowed to continue his work fighting for immigrant and working-class families in the Southwest Side district that stretches to the western suburbs.
“My mother crossed the border, undocumented, and pregnant with me. And she arrived in Chicago wearing sandals in the middle of the winter because she didn’t know about the icy, cold Chicago,” said Patty Garcia, who has a Ph.D. in education policy. “Today, families dressed like ours are facing a new kind of ICE, an assault on immigrants that threatens everything we’ve built. That’s why I’m running for Congress.”
She put a profane exclamation mark on her new candidacy after saying President Donald Trump “has declared war on our community, on my community, on my neighbors, on my family, on the Fourth District.
“And let me be clear: f— ICE,” Patty Garcia said.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch is supporting her campaign, as well as several members of Illinois’ congressional delegation, whom she declined to name.
She also slammed retiring Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin’s vote in support of a Republican spending plan to reopen the federal government without a guarantee to extend health care subsidies.
“We shouldn’t be caving and leaving the table with nothing,” Patty Garcia said. “At the very minimum, we need health care and good health care, affordable health care, sustainable health care.”