Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia speaks on decision to not seek reelection for Congress in 2026
U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-Illinois) addressed his decision not to run again for his seat in Congress.
Last week, Garcia announced he would not seek reelection in 2026.
His chief of staff filed to run for his seat in Congress the same day, which was the last day to officially enter the race.
Some have questioned the timing of Garcia's decision not to run, with little time for other candidates to throw their hat in the ring.
"It was a sequence of events of a really tough week for me. From my visit to the cardiologist on the first day that I filed. On Friday we adopted our grandson. So all of those things just converged all at once and led to my decision. Was this the best way to do it? People are entitled to their opinion. It's the decision that I came to under the circumstances," He said.
Rep. Garcia has served in Congress since 2019. He also previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the Illinois Senate, and the Chicago City Council. He has also twice run for mayor of Chicago, most recently in 2023.
Garcia is now the fifth Democratic member of Congress from Illinois to opt against running for another term next year.