Chuy Garcia's Ultimate Letdown
Congressman Jesús Chuy Garcia (D-Chicago) finished a disappointing fourth in his run for Chicago Mayor.
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OPINION
When Congressman Jesús Chuy Garcia (D-Chicago) entered the race for Chicago Mayor in May, many observers said it was a near lock for he and incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot to end up squaring off in the April runoff.
In the end, both were on the outside looking in.
Garcia came seemingly out of nowhere in 2015 to force then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff. He was elected to congress in 2018 and re-elected in 2020 and 2022 before being considered a top contender for Mayor when he jumped into the race in November.
Our pal Eric Zorn, who writes the Picayune Sentinel newsletter, voted for Garcia, but called out his lackluster campaign in the process:
That left Democratic U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia, who has run a humdrum campaign, much as he did in 2015 when he pushed incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff. I’m not at all bothered by the support that alleged crypto crook Samuel Bankman-Fried offered his campaign or the other weak accusations of corrupt ties launched by Lightfoot. But I am bothered by his uninspiring, weak-sauce, anodyne, evasive answers to questions.
Could I really vote for a mealy-mouthed candidate like Garcia?
I backed Garcia, but not with any gusto. Do not consider this an endorsement, rather a resigned admission.
Lower than expected turnout in Latino wards put the nail in Garcia’s mayoral coffin.