Progressives divided as Democrat’s handpicked successor gains party’s nomination

Democrat Patty García has secured her party’s nomination for Illinois’ 4th Congressional District after her former boss, incumbent Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, made a controversial last-minute decision not to seek re-election, allowing her to run unopposed.

Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, a predominantly Hispanic district located in Chicago and its suburbs, is considered one of the deepest blue House districts in the country, giving García a distinct advantage in the November general election.

García, who has served on Rep. García’s staff since the 2019 election, is widely viewed as his chosen successor. The two are not related. Rep. García sparked controversy last fall when he announced two days after the filing deadline that he would not seek reelection. The maneuver left only García on the ballot, forcing progressive candidates Byron Sigcho-Lopez and Mayra Macías to run as independents.

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Critics called this maneuver an unfair attempt by Rep. García to tip the scales in his district’s next election. The House then passed a resolution of disapproval against him, led by fellow Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. Nearly two dozen House Democrats challenged Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to vote in favor of the rebuke.

The measure passed 236 to 183, with 23 Democrats joining Republicans to rebuke Rep. García. Four lawmakers voted “present” — Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. and Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.

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Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez forced a vote to rebuke House Democratic Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Jonathan Gibby/Getty Images via Getty Images)

Garcia is a Chicago native and longtime Democratic Party political strategist who has served as Rep. García’s chief of staff since 2023. He runs on a progressive platform that closely mirrors his boss’s priorities, and he is pro-union and a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump.

His campaign website states that immigration enforcement “is being used to terrorize working-class communities.” She has pledged to work to dismantle U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, writing on her website that “Patty has confronted abusive tactics head on and will fight to abolish ICE so that we can live with dignity, due process, and families without fear.”

The general election in the 4th District will be a battle between progressives. Sigcho-Lopez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a socialist political group that has seen a resurgence in American politics with the election of figures such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference in New York City on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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Macías, meanwhile, states on his campaign website that he is running for Congress “because everything he fought for is being undone and the community that raised him is being directly targeted by the Trump Administration.”

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Leo Briceno contributed to this report.