Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia, a congressman, is allegedly running for mayor again. He allegedly began to raise money through the ActBlue website. ActBlue is a website that funds Democratic candidates on all levels. ActBlue also funds progressive organizations and nonprofits. All donations done here go directly to the candidates except for a 3.95% processing fee on donations.
Garcia recently admitted he is considering running and even held a poll with surprising results. The poll he commissioned shows that current Mayor Lori Lightfoot would win in the February election from 22% to 14%. However, the poll also revealed that Garcia would beat Lightfoot in the April run off 43% to 34%.
Even if he does decide to step up to the plate and run for mayor he will face a lot of obstacles. ABC7’s Political Analyst, Laura Washington, said that he is entering the race fairly late. Petitions are due later this month and he hasn’t officially declared and won’t be able to until next week. He still hasn’t raised enough money.
A major issue is Garcia’s progressive base which had previously helped him get to the run-off in 2015, has probably moved on. They probably have moved on because Garcia hadn’t made his decision sooner.
Garcia’s last mayoral run did not end in his favor. Garcia lost to former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015.
Courtesy of Pedro de Carvalho Ponchio (Flickr CC0)
About ‘Chuy’ Garcia
The Fourth Congressional District of Illinois is represented by U.S. Representative Jesus G. “Chuy” Garcia. On January 3, 2019, during the 116th Congress, he took the oath of office.
Congressman Garcia has fought to better the lives of his working-class neighbors, many of whom are immigrants like him, throughout his career. He is a coalition builder who is dedicated to empowering young people and increasing access to good jobs, affordable housing, and high-quality education.
The powerful Financial Services Committee, Natural Resources Committee, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee all currently have him on their respective boards.
Congressman Garcia was born in the Mexican state of Durango’s small community of Los Pinos. He is the youngest of four children who were reared by his mother while his father worked in the country, first as part of the bracero program during World War II and then at a Chicago cold storage facility.
Congressman Garcia and his family arrived in the country as permanent residents in 1965. Rep. Garcia served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners until being elected to Congress in November 2018.
More About Chuy
In his capacity as Commissioner, he resisted discrimination against underserved areas in housing, increased the minimum wage, and required County workers to have access to paid sick leave. Additionally, he enacted a law that prohibited Cook County from collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The policy established an example for more than 250 communities and was the first of its type in the country.
When Congressman Garcia was a student at the University of Illinois in Chicago(UIC), he started campaigning for workers’ rights and more inclusive city services. When he was chosen as a Cook County Democratic Party Committeeman in 1984, he made his political debut. He rapidly became known for forging alliances between the Latino and African American populations of Chicago.
Congressman Garcia was then chosen to serve as the 22nd Ward representative for Chicago in the City Council. Congressman Garcia stopped non-attorney immigration practitioners from charging exorbitant fees while he was an alderman.
He assumed leadership of the Council’s Committee on Aviation in 1986, and during that time, he contributed to the implementation of the Automated Guideway Transit (ATG) at O’Hare International Airport.
Additionally, Garcia served as the 1st District state senator for Illinois. He signed into law the Language Assistance Services Act in 1993, requiring long-term care facilities and hospitals to have the tools necessary to effectively communicate with deaf and limited-English-speaking patients.
The first Chicago mayoral contender to force an incumbent into a run-off was Congressman Garcia in 2015. Congressman Garcia, his devoted wife Evelyn, and their three adult children continue to reside in Chicago’s neighborhood of Little Village.
All information above, including his biography, was provided from Garcia’s personal page.
Written by Gabriel Salgado
ABC7 News: Congressman Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia running for mayor of Chicago, sources say
NBC News: Rahm Emanuel Elected Chicago Mayor, Defeats Jesus “Chuy” Garcia
Jesus G. “Chuy” Garcia: About
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of ozgecan Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Pedro de Carvalho Ponchio Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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