A rare bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to formally rebuke Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) over a maneuver that could result in his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, becoming the only Democrat on the 2026 primary ballot for his seat in Illinois’ 4th District.
The resolution of disapproval passed with 236 votes in favor, including 213 Republicans and 23 Democrats, with 183 Democrats voting against. The action follows weeks of growing scrutiny over the timing surrounding García’s expected retirement, as he filed for reelection shortly before the deadline and his chief of staff submitted her candidacy just as the window closed, effectively shutting out other Democrats from the race in the heavily Democrat district unless García himself formally withdraws.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), who introduced the resolution, delivered a floor speech on Tuesday emphasizing the principle at stake. She stated she rose “with humility, fear and conviction” to defend the right of American citizens “to choose their elected representatives.” Acknowledging that she liked Chuy Garcia and believed his reasons for retiring were “noble,” Perez argued, “We are not here to adjudicate the character of Chuy Garcia.” Instead, she pressed lawmakers to confront “how he chose his successor and deprived Americans the right to choose their elected representative.”
In her statement on X after the vote, Perez acknowledged the challenges she faced leading the charge: “I got my ass handed to me yesterday in debate, but I am profoundly encouraged to have been a small part of the long work of affirming that in America, we choose our leaders. Thank you to the 22 Democrats who stood with me.”
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) shared praise for Perez on social media: “I applaud my colleague @RepMGP for standing up against yet another example of political malfeasance in Chicago. Chuy Garcia chose to subvert the will of the voters by coronating his chief of staff as his successor.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) discussed the controversy in a video posted to X. Burchett summarized the situation as “Democrat on Democrat violence,” while Luna added, “They tried to appoint someone for the seat without having a legitimate election, kind of like how they handled Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
According to Burchett, Tennessee law prevents such last-minute withdrawals by elected officials from triggering automatic succession without voter input, referencing a bill called the “Anti-Skulduggery” law. “In Tennessee now, if a person in office doesn’t run, then… there’s a period of time where [others] can file a petition.”
Some Democrats pushed back strongly against the resolution and its Democratic sponsor. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) delivered a forceful defense of García, framing the rebuke as a mischaracterization of his contributions to his district.
“He has been there every day of the year, helping people,” she claimed. Turning directly to Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez and others supporting the resolution, Schakowsky declared, “Shame on you for deciding that this is the issue… you who have no idea about the role that Chuy Garcia has played in the city of Chicago and continues to play.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who publicly urged Democrats to oppose the resolution, dismissed the rebuke as a distraction from legislative priorities. In an interview on CNN, Jeffries described García as “a consistent progressive champion for the disenfranchised” and argued that the matter should be left to voters in Illinois. He reiterated his belief that lawmakers should prioritize “solving problems for the American people” over what he referred to as “partisan political games,” pointing instead to issues like rising healthcare costs and economic pressures.
The resolution introduced by Perez stated that García’s move was “beneath the dignity of his office and incompatible with the spirit of the Constitution,” accusing him of “undermining the process of a free and fair election.”
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