What to know about the race for Illinois' 4th Congressional District
While three Democrats will be running for Congress in Illinois' 4th District in 2026, primary voters will see only one of those candidates on the ballot in March, as the other two will be running as independents against incumbent Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's handpicked successor.
Garcia, who has served in Congress since 2019, dropped out of the race for his seat in November on the last day for candidates to file nominating petitions, clearing the way for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (no relation) to be the only Democrat on the ballot for the March 17 primary.
The move rankled many Democrats, who accused Rep. Garcia of depriving voters of a choice for the party's nomination for his successor in the Southwest Side district.
Now two Democrats are planning independent campaigns for the seat, meaning they will soon be gathering signatures to get on the ballot for the general election in November, when Patty Garcia is guaranteed to be the Democratic nominee.
Mayra Macias, a lifelong Democrat and a field organizer for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, announced her independent campaign in December. Ald. Byron Sigcho Lopez (25th), a democratic socialist in his second term on the Chicago City Council, announced plans for an independent run at the end of January.
A lone Republican, Lupe Castillo, a former 22nd Ward Republican Committeewoman, also is running for the seat.
Who are the candidates running for the 4th Congressional District?
Patty Garcia
Garcia is the only Democrat on the ballot. A longtime aide to the incumbent congressman, to whom she is not related, Garcia is a longtime Democratic political operative. She has vowed to continue the congressman's work to support working families and immigrants.
Byron Sigcho-Lopez
Sigcho-Lopez is running as an independent candidate, so will not be on the ballot in the primary elections, and will need to gather at least 10,816 valid signatures on nominating petitions to get on the ballot for the November general election. He is an immigrant from Ecuador, and a former teacher who was first elected to the Chicago City Council in the 25th Ward in 2019. An outspoken democratic socialist, he is a close ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson.
He has accused Patty Garcia and Congressman Garcia of cutting an "anti-democratic back room deal" to install her as the only Democrat on the ballot in the March primary. He has said said, if elected, he would fight back against the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown, and seek to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. He's also a su pporter of Medicare for all and increasing taxes on large corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
Mayra Macias
Macias is a lifelong Democrat who also is running as an independent for an Illinois congressional seat. Macias is a former teacher who also served as a field organizer for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. She also served as executive director for the Latino Victory Fund, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help elect Latinos to office. She's also a former executive directro of Building Back Together, a nonprofit organization that helped carry out former policy agenda.
She also has criticized Congressman Garcia's last-minute decision not to run for another term in 2026, a move that helped open an obvious path for his chief of staff to replace him.
"We're at a time when Democrats are trying to hold the Trump administration accountable for undemocratic actions, and it's hard to do that if we're turning a blind eye here at home, when folks from our own party are partaking in undemocratic actions," she told CBS News' Major Garrett in December.
Lupe Castillo
Castillo is the only Republican running in the March primary. She also ran for the seat in 2024, losing to Congressman Garcia by a40-point margin. A former 22nd Ward Republican Committeewoman, Castillo has not set up a campaign website or social media account.
