The more-conservative Lopez looks to shock García in the Latino-majority 4th Congressional District race.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, left, is being challenged by Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th. Created amid controversy more than 30 years ago to help Illinois elect a Latino representative to Congress, Illinois’ 4th Congressional District was once best-known for being drawn in the shape of earmuffs in order to encompass several Hispanic Chicago neighborhoods and some suburbs.
The earmuff-shaped district is no more, having been reworked following the 2020 census to include many new suburbs. The 4th Congressional District now stretches from Chicago’s Southwest Side into Cicero and out west as far as Oak Brook and Hinsdale and then north to Melrose Park and Northlake.on March 19. Lopez said extending the district deeper into the suburbs, including parts of more-conservative DuPage County, provides room for him to make a case that he’s a more moderate alternative.
Before Congress, García was alderman of Chicago’s 22nd Ward and later was the first Mexican American in the Illinois Senate. He also founded the Little Village Community Development Corporation as a community organizer and was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010. Most notably, Garcia ran twice for Chicago mayor but lost both times. In 2015, he forced then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel into a runoff and last year he came in fourth in a mayoral bid many viewed as lacking energy.
García also has the backing of local labor unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 and the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the Congressional Progressive PAC. Lopez has the support of local chapters of the Chicago Fire Fighters Union, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and the International Union of Elevator Constructors, among others.
Still, Terrazo said he likes García and has voted for him in the past. While not committing to changing his vote this time around, Terrazo said he plans to do more research on both candidates before casting his ballot. Lopez called himself an “upstart firecracker” as well as a potential bridge across party lines, which he thinks would help him get things done in Congress. Among his priorities are banning assault weapons and taking steps to reduce the national debt. Before becoming alderman, he worked as a skycap for Southwest Airlines at Midway Airport for 13 years.
Still, Lopez has cast “no” votes tied to the minimum wage and paid sick leave. He didn’t vote in favor of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s management ordinance that established the increased minimum wage in 2019 and he also voted against last year’s amendment to the Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance that doubled the city’s paid leave mandate to 10 days.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rep. Lauren Boebert Will Not Run in Special Election to Replace Rep. Ken BuckRep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has announced that she will not run in the special election to replace Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) in Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District. Boebert criticized the establishment for trying to rig the election and expressed concerns about confusing voters and leaving the district without representation for months.
Read more »
Rep. Marc Molinaro becomes first Republican to back bill protecting IVFDiana Paulsen is a desk assistant for NBC News.
Read more »
Ask PolitiFact: Were the pictures in the Jesus ‘washed feet’ Super Bowl ad AI generated?Trusting what you see is harder than ever these days. During Super Bowl LVIII, artificial intelligence appeared in multi
Read more »
Dallas ad firm is behind ‘He Gets Us’ Jesus Super Bowl commercialsFor the second year in a row, a religious Super Bowl ad campaign created by a Dallas advertising firm promised viewers that Jesus “gets us.”
Read more »
Former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi Wins Special Election To Succeed George SantosDaniel Marans covers national campaigns and elections.
Read more »
How Rep. Chu’s case of COVID-19 stopped Democrats from blocking Mayorkas impeachmentLast week, a key Republican’s absence was the difference between success and failure in the effort to impeach the Homeland Security chief. This time, it was the absence of a key Democrat.
Read more »