Twenty three House Democrats on Tuesday joined Republicans in a resolution admonishing Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s last-minute resignation that paved 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.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.