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

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

A heavily Hispanic district located in Chicago and its suburbs, Illinois’ 4th Congressional District is considered one of the bluest congressional districts in the country, giving García a marked advantage in the November general election.

Having served on Rep. García’s staff since his election in 2019, she is widely seen as his hand-picked successor. The two are not related. Rep. García sparked controversy last fall when he announced he would not run again two days after the nomination deadline. 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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U.S. Congressional Democrat Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04) speaks during a press conference after being denied entry to an ICE facility, in Broadview, Illinois, June 18, 2025. (Octavio Jones/Reuters)

Critics called the move an unfair attempt by Rep. García to tip the scales in his district’s upcoming elections. The House then passed a resolution of disapproval against him, led by fellow Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. Nearly two dozen House Democrats challenged Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to vote in favor of the reprimand.

The measure passed 236-183, with 23 Democrats joining Republicans in reprimanding 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 on the reprimand of fellow House Democrat Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Jonathan Gibby/Getty Images)

García is a longtime Democratic political strategist from Chicago and chief of staff to Rep. García since 2023. She is running on a progressive platform that closely reflects her boss’s priorities and is pro-union and a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump.

His campaign website says immigration measures are “used to terrorize working-class communities.” She is committed to working to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States, on her website stating, “Patty has faced abusive tactics head-on and will fight for dignity, due process, and to abolish ICE so families can live without fear.” »

The general election in District 4 will be a showdown 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 Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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Meanwhile, Macías says on her campaign website that she is running for Congress “because everything she has fought for is being undone and the community that raised her is being directly targeted by the Trump administration.”

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