Chuy García

Jesús G. "Chuy" García (born April 12, 1956) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 4th district since 2019.

A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as well as in the Illinois Senate and on the Chicago City Council before his election to Congress.

García moved to the U.S. in 1965 with permanent resident status.

The family settled in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, where García continues to reside.

He attended St. Rita High School, graduating in 1974.

García became a citizen of the United States in 1977.

García worked at the Legal Assistance Foundation from 1977 to 1980 as he worked toward a B.A. in political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Meanwhile, Washington's allies had sued the city in federal court, claiming that the ward map drawn up after the 1980 Census had unfairly dispersed black and Hispanic voters.

At that time, whites were about 40% of the city's population, blacks were also about 40%, and Hispanics were about 15%, but there were 33 white aldermen, only 16 black and just one Hispanic.

In 1983, García was the campaign manager for labor organizer Rudy Lozano, who challenged longtime alderman Frank Stemberk of the 22nd Ward.

In the February 1983 election, Lozano came 17 votes short of forcing a runoff, which his supporters contended was due to voters with Spanish surnames being purged from the rolls.

Lozano was murdered in June 1983, shot to death in his home.

A reputed gang member was convicted of Lozano's murder, but his supporters still contend that he was killed for his labor and political activities.

He then became assistant director of the Little Village Neighborhood Housing Service, where he worked until 1984.

García also has a master's degree from University of Illinois at Chicago in urban public planning and policy.

In 1984, García challenged Stemberk for committeeman in the Cook County Democratic Party.

Lozano's supporters rallied around him and he was endorsed by Mayor Harold Washington.

Washington also appointed him Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Water, a post he held from 1984 to 1986.

García was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1986.

During his time on the city council, he was known for being a staunch ally of Mayor Harold Washington.

In December 1985, as a result of a November 1985 ward remap, judge Charles Ronald Norgle Sr.. of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ordered a special election for March 18, 1986, in seven wards, including the 22nd.

The special elections gave Washington the opportunity to wrest control of the city council from Vrdolyak.

Stemberk chose not to run for reelection and García declared his candidacy.

In the nonpartisan election, García faced supermarket owner and Stemberk ally Guadalupe Martinez and beauty supply store owner Fred Yanez.

Yanez emphasised his military service and Martinez called García "100 percent Communist" and criticized him for selling garbage cans, which Martinez gave away for free.

In 1992, he became the first Mexican-American member of the Illinois State Senate.

He was defeated in his reelection bid to the state senate by Antonio Munoz in the 1998 primary.

In 2010, García was elected to the 7th district of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and after his election was appointed floor leader by Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.

Stemberk was a supporter of alderman Edward Vrdolyak of the 10th Ward, who controlled the city council and opposed Washington's administration.

The Chicago media dubbed this divide within city government the "Council Wars".

With Lozano supporters taking to the race with a "religious fervor" and Washington campaigning heavily on García's behalf, he defeated Stemberk by 2,811 votes (40.62%) to 2,752 (39.77%), with activist and former labor union leader August Sallas taking 1,357 (19.61%).

Unlike other committeemen and women, García used his office to provide constituent services, which helped him maintain his high-profile.

He was also a candidate for mayor of Chicago in 2015 and 2023.

Throughout his career in Chicago and national politics, he has been described as a progressive.

A candidate for mayor of Chicago in the 2015 election, he finished second in the February 24 general election and forced a runoff election against the incumbent, Rahm Emanuel, which Emanuel won.

García won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 election, replacing retiring representative and ally Luis Gutiérrez.

He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Chicago a second time in the 2023 election, challenging incumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot.

After placing fourth in the first round, García endorsed Brandon Johnson's successful candidacy in the runoff.

García was born in Mexico in the state of Durango.

His father was a farm laborer under the U.S. government's World War II-era bracero program.