Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) admonished a home-state Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, on Wednesday for using his retirement announcement to ensure his chosen successor secures the seat.
Durbin, the second-ranked Senate Democrat who is also not seeking reelection, called it a “mistake” for García to announce his 2026 reelection and then recant after the Illinois filing deadline, all but ensuring his chief of staff would be the only Democratic candidate in a deep-blue district.
“I think Chuy made a mistake. He’s a close friend, and I’ve worked with him, and he’s been a great public servant,” Durbin told the Washington Examiner. “But this situation, I think, he should have handled differently.”
García did not respond to a request for comment. Durbin said he’s not spoken with García about the matter.
García was officially rebuked by the House on Tuesday over the orchestrated succession plan, with 22 Democrats voting with all Republicans in favor of a resolution of disapproval brought by centrist Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA). The vote marked a rare moment of a party’s lawmakers officially reprimanding one of their own. While resolution does not have any formal penalty, most House Democrats still fought to prevent the condemnation, which is meant to serve as a political embarrassment.
García initially filed for reelection on Oct. 27 but reversed course to announce his retirement shortly after the Nov. 5 filing deadline. Meanwhile, his chief of staff, Patty García, who has no relation to the fourth-term lawmaker, had quietly collected the required 2,500 signatures to be placed on the ballot as the lone Democratic candidate in a D+17 seat.
García was the first of those signatories, according to a document filed with Illinois elections officials and obtained by Politico.
TWENTY-THREE HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTE TO REBUKE CHUY GARCÍA OVER SUCCESSION PLAN
García has spoken openly to The Chicago Sun-Times about the de facto handoff, including helping to collect enough signatures. But he was more defiant in remarks made on the House floor, where he denied any wrongdoing and insisted he “followed the rules of Illinois and its election law.”
“I saw the big picture: supporting my wife as she managed her illness, taking better care of my own health, and being present for the grandson that we just adopted two weeks ago,” García said, making an apparent reference to his own heart condition and his wife’s multiple sclerosis.
