Representative Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) is not running for re-election, Chicago Sun-Times Reported on Monday.
Garcia, 69, has represented the state’s 4th Congressional District since January 2019. A member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, he is also the Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
He applied to contest re-election With the Illinois State Board of Elections on October 27. However, just before the Monday evening deadline, his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, filed before the board To run for your boss’s seat.
Incumbent Representative Garcia is expected to withdraw his petitions and support his chief of staff, the Sun-Times reported. The Hill has contacted Garcia’s campaign for comment.
Garcia, a native of Durango, Mexico, has long been a prominent figure in Illinois politics. He started as an alderman on the Chicago City Council from 1986 to 1993, then served in the Illinois Senate from 1993 to 1999 and on the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 2011 to 2018.
He also ran for Mayor of Chicago twice, placing second behind Rahm Emanuel in 2015 and fourth in 2023 behind Brandon Johnson, Paul Wallace, and Lori Lightfoot.
The Democratic primary in the 4th district, which includes parts of Chicago and Cook County suburbs, is scheduled for March 17, 2026. According to the Census Bureau’s 2024 census, the district is majority-Hispanic or Latino, with 55 percent of residents of Mexican origin. American Community Survey,
According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Republican Lupe Castillo and Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey also filed to run For the seat on Monday.
Garcia defeated Castillo and Hershey in his re-election bid last November.
