The next chapter is hers was the slogan on the sign affixed to the podium at Patty Garica’s victory party. That proved to be the case as one Garcia will replace another Garcia as the representative of the 4th Congressional District. Democrat Patty Garcia, who is not related to retiring Cong. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, swept to an easy win in a four- way contest featuring independent candidate Chris Getty, the mayor of Lyons and the Lyons Township Supervisor.
With 47% of the vote counted Garcia had an overwhelming lead racking up 68% of the vote. Republican Lupe Castillo, who ran against Chuy Garcia four years ago, was in second with 18% of the vote. Getty, who raised and spent more than $400,000 on his campaign, was in third place with only 10.5% of the vote while Working Class Party candidate Ed Hershey received 3.4% of the vote. Castillo apparently spent less than $5,000 on her campaign.
Garcia piled up the votes in the overwhelmingly Democratic and majority Hispanic district on a very good night for Democrats nationwide. She was backed by the strong Hispanic progressive movement that Chuy Garcia built. At her victory party Patty Garica was introduced by Chuy Garcia.
Garcia, 41, made her victory speech in a crowded union hall on the southwest side of the city that was filled with supporters. In a powerful and emotional 13-minute victory speech Patty Garcia thanked Chuy Garcia and her parents who immigrated to the United States from Mexico.
“Tonight I stand on your shoulders,” she said to Chuy Garcia.
Patty Garcia, speaking in both English and Spanish, said she was proud to be the first woman elected to Congress from the 4th Congressional District and vowed that she wouldn’t be the last.
The overwhelming victory was a testimony to the strong progressive movement Chuy Garcia built on the southwest side into the suburbs.
“This was never about one seat; it was about a movement,” Patty Garcia said.
Garcia vowed to abolish ICE.
She thanked her opponents and said that the challenge from Getty made her a better candidate.
Garcia’s win was powered by voters like one Brookfield woman who spoke to the Landmark after voting at S.E. Gross Middle School. The woman said that she voted a straight Democratic ticket.
“I wanted to send a strong message to the Republican Party that we are extremely unhappy with the political environment that the Trump administration has created in our country and for our schools, for our children,” said the woman who declined to give her name. “And this is the chance to turn the tide back to what we need.”
Michelle Holman of Riverside also voted for Garcia, even though she grew up in Lyons.
“I’m kind of leaning into the Democratic vote,” Holman said after voting at the Riverside Village Hall on Election Day. “And I grew up in Lyons so the Getty name wasn’t a positive.”
Holman said that while Getty did some good things for Lyons she doesn’t trust him.
Patty Garcia may not be a blood relation to Chuy Garcia but she was his anointed successor. She worked for Chuy Garcia for seven years and was his chief of staff until she resigned just over a year ago when she learned that Chuy Garcia was going to pull out of the race and retire when his term expires in January after four terms in office and just a couple of days before she filed to run in the Democratic primary on the final day to file to run in primary.
Patty Garcia was apparently the only potential candidate tipped off by Chuy Garica that he was going to pull out of the race. This maneuver, which a number of politicians have used, allowed Patty Garcia to be the only candidate in the Democratic primary and spurred Getty’s independent run.
That was enough to persuade some to vote for someone else.
“I didn’t like the way Chuy Garcia handled stepping down,” said one Riverside man who declined to give his name after voting for Getty at Riverside Village Hall.
In area state legislative races Democrats also coasted to easy wins. In the 21st District incumbent Abdelnasser Rashid, who was first elected in 2022, easily defeated Republican Eric Su, of North Riverside.
In the 2nd District incumbent Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez easily defeated Riverside Brookfield High School District 208 school board member Laura Hruska.