U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, who represents Illinois’ 4th district in Washington, D.C., is a longtime political veteran who ran for mayor in 2015 and has emphasized his progressive bonafides since entering the 2023 race in November.
Prior to his 2015 mayoral campaign, García had served on City Council, the Illinois state senate and the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
More recently, the Tribune identified García as an unnamed member of congress mentioned in federal court records involving the corruption case against Madigan. Although García is reportedly not under investigation, mayoral campaigns, particularly Lightfoot’s, have played up García’s association with the former speaker.
García has denied any involvement in the alleged pay-for-play scheme and said he was not under investigation.
García’s campaign has $1.3 million in the bank, according to the most recent campaign disclosure forms.