Candidates for 4th, 8th Illinois congressional districts make cases as experts discuss prospects of blue wave

Several well-known names among the Illinois delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives are not running for reelection, including U.S. Reps. Jesús "Chuy" García of the 4th Congressional District, and Raja Krishnamoorthi of the 8th.

The 4th Congressional District stretches from Chicago's Little Village to Oak Brook, and from Midway International Airport to Franklin Park. Rep. García, a former Chicago alderman and Cook County commissioner, took former Mayor Rahm Emanuel to a runoff in 2015, and was elected to Congress in 2018.

He abruptly announced just before the filing deadline for the March primary election that he would not run for another term, controversially clearing the way for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (no relation), to take his place on the ballot.

Patty Garcia now faces Republican Lupe Castillo, the 22nd Ward Republican committeewoman, in the general election. The candidates are campaigning with very different takes on the issues.

Garcia said knocking on doors and talking to voters has shown that the number-one issue is affordability.

"It's quite clear that people are struggling with the ability to pay rent, to put food on the table," she said. "They're rationing prescriptions and debating, you know: 'What bill can I pay this month, and what can I do off with?'"

Garcia also called for raising the minimum wage to $25.

"I think that people should be paid for the time that they're working, and the cost of living has gone up, but wages have been stagnant. I am a supporter of paying $25 per hour," she said. "I'm also a supporter of labor legislation like the PRO [Protect the Right to Organize] Act, and ensuring that we have the right to organize without fear, without retaliation, and have good-paying union jobs with benefits and sick pay and time off."

Garcia also called for access to health care, noting that people are concerned about losing their access to health care programs — particularly mixed-status families where members have different immigration or citizenship statuses.

On immigration, Garcia called for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"And I know it's controversial for some folks. But what's radical for me is that we're taking food from seniors, taking food from kids, and instead, wasting it on this rogue agency that has gone out there with a blank check and going unchecked — literally killing our neighbors," she said.

Garcia called for an end to the war in Iran, emphasizing that its downstream effects are costing consumers.

"We've got to end the war, right, these endless wars that we're wasting money on. That is why people are paying so much at the gas pumps, why we're also seeing the impact of Trump's tariffs in the communities," she said. "They're having to pay more for goods and services, and at the end of the day, it's the consumers who are having to pay for that."

Meanwhile, the first priority Castillo mentioned was restoring the communities in the district back to their past prosperity.

"This was a very prosperous community before," she said. "I would try to work with the banks to make it easier for someone to prove that they can get a business up and running without losing any money."

On immigration, Castillo said she supports enforcement crackdowns, including Operation Midway Blitz last year.

"The people that they were going after — and people don't believe me — were people that were up to no good; had records. And some of them were not vetted when they were coming across the border. We don't find out until after they're here if they've committed some kind of a crime," she said. "Now they're on our books. Now we can find out where they came from and what they've done."

Castillo also called for improved public schools, noting that North Side residents can afford higher property taxes to support better schools, while West and Southwest Side residents often cannot. She also noted that seniors are struggling with no help in many instances.

On the war in Iran, Castillo said the simple fact was that Iran is a hostile power.

"People don't understand that Iran — the Muslims, the Islamic people, they don't like us just for the simple fact for that we're Americans," she said. "They make it hard, especially now when they're attacking our allies, and that's not fair."

In the 8th District, which covers a large chunk of Cook, DuPage, and Kane counties, Krishnamoorthi is not running again, as he pivoted to an unsuccessful run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Democrat Melissa Bean, who has held the seat before, is facing political newcomer and tech entrepreneur Jennifer Davis to replace Krishnamoorthi.

Davis said "kitchen-table issues" such as health care and affordability are top-of-mind in the district.

"And it's a very entrepreneurial district, so it is all of the issues that impact small businesses," she said. "We have so much red tape."

On the war with Iran, Davis emphasized the need to keep Iran in check as a power.

"Iran having a nuclear weapon should never happen. That is not something — we do not want the number one terrorist country in the world to have a nuclear weapon, and that's what's good for America," she said. "The Strait [of Hormuz] being open and secure, and allowing oil to flow through freely, very important to America."

Davis said it is necessary to embrace artificial intelligence and data centers, but to do so responsibly.

"All of it has to be done in a way that benefits the people that are there," she said. "So, you know, we shouldn't have data centers next to schools and neighborhoods and churches. You know, we should be very thoughtful of those."

For her part, Bean said the excesses of the executive branch under the Trump administration are a major concern.

"I think people are concerned about the future of our democracy and our country, the Constitution being trampled upon," she said. "I think people remember that our founders intended to have checks and balances, and that's just not happening right now."

Bean also took the Trump administration to task for the gutting of federal agencies.

"I think we need to make sure that we return the funding and the institutional knowledge of federal agencies that have been gutted — not just by the president, but by a Republican majority that has not looked out to preserve functioning federal agencies that taxpayers pay for and they rely on," she said. "They should be able to call the Social Security office or Veterans Affairs, and somebody should be there to assist them."

Bean said it was never clear why President Trump launched the military campaign against Iran in the first place.

"We have to figure that off-ramp out, and he's certainly got us into a situation without congressional authority, but it's also like how did we even get there in the first place?" she said. "There should have been not only an exit strategy, but an entrance strategy — what are you even trying to achieve. And they have been all over the place in what they're trying to accomplish, and thus far, they haven't delivered."

On AI, Bean said the potential dangers cannot be dismissed.

"I think we have to do some serious investigation to truly understand what the threats are. I think there's some extreme rhetoric that has everybody concerned and scared, but they're all very real concerns," she said. "I mean, when you see these agents getting out of their testing platforms and in an unrestrained way, sort of escaping, that's hugely problematic."

A blue wave in November?

Meanwhile on "The Angle" Sunday morning, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin analyzed the prospects of massive Democratic victories in Congress this November.

"It's really hard to know, and a lot of the sentiment is based upon polling that's being done over the course of the year," Lightfoot said. "If the polling is to be believed — which is a big caveat — it seems like the Democrats will have a very, very good night at the federal level, and state governorships, and senatorial positions and Congress."

Lightfoot said there are indications that the Republicans are smelling trouble — particularly in that the GOP is pouring money into the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina, where Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was appointed to take over and is running to keep her seat. She faces Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews.

"Why?" Lightfoot said. "[Graham] must be in trouble down there."

Lightfoot said while the trends are pointing the right way for Democrats, this does not mean a sure thing.

"At the same time, you see these reports that people don't really know what the Democrats' message is — 'a pox on all their houses,'" she said.

Lightfoot said turnout will determine the outcome of key races, and Durkin said turnout is not likely to be as robust as people seem to think, as this is a midterm election.

"But when we talk about the blue wave, we're really talking about the U.S. House of Representatives, about 50 or 60 seats that are targeted, and that's where it matters. They could have a huge Democrat turnout, but what happens in those districts is going to make the difference," he said. "So I'm hesitant to say this is going to be a landslide, but all indications are that this is going to be a very difficult day for the Republicans."