A bitter burst of Democratic infighting exploded out into the open Monday evening after Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez sought to chastise her colleague, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, for carrying out a paperwork maneuver to ensure that his chief of staff would be able to run unopposed in the primary to replace him.
The measure has caused a headache for House Democratic leadership, which has opposed Gluesenkamp Perez’s largely symbolic measure to denounce García’s succession scheme.
Gluesenkamp Perez joined with the vast majority of the chamber’s Republicans on Monday to sink an effort — backed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — to kill her resolution.
Monday’s vote on a motion to table Gluesenkamp Perez’s measure failed by a 211-206 margin. She and Rep. Jared Golden of Maine were the only two Democratic votes in support of the resolution, which accused García of “undermining the process of a fair and free election” and claims his actions are “incompatible with the spirit” of the Constitution. The measure now proceeds to the full house for a vote.
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After the vote, Republicans largely left the House chamber, leaving Democrats to argue among themselves over the merits of censuring one of their own for a strategy that is legal and has been used by members of both parties over the years.
García earlier this month announced his retirement plans — the same day as the candidate filing deadline — saying he had been urged by both his doctor and his wife to step away from politics due to personal health issues and family obligations.
He had filed for reelection on Oct. 27, but withdrew it the day of the filing deadline at the same time his chief of staff, Patty García, filed her petition for candidacy — guaranteeing that other candidates could not enter the race after his withdrawal.
Speaking on the House floor, Gluesenkamp Perez offered her admiration for García but said no allegiance should overrule Americans’ right to elect their own representatives.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the culture of political complacency, or believing that your opponents are so broken that the ends justify the means, but you cannot win the right to represent people through subversion,” she said.
Nearly a dozen Democrats on Monday night spoke in defense of García, arguing the resolution was a distraction from greater challenges, including health care extensions and the president’s immigration agenda.
“This is a man who is a legend. He is a legend to his district and he is a legend in this Congress, and I don’t understand why we are having to debate him. This is character assassination,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove said.
Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois called the resolution “nothing more than a cheap political stunt.”
“You don’t have to agree with how the events of his decision to step down unfolded to recognize that this resolution is misguided and disingenuous,” Ramirez continued.
García also said during Monday night’s discussion that his decision to retire was fueled by a growing commitment to his family. García spoke about formally adopting one of his grandchildren, left in his care after the death of his daughter in 2023, saying his priorities shifted.
“As I looked ahead, I had to be honest about what the next term would demand and what my family needed,” García said. “I saw the big picture, supporting my wife as we manage her illness, taking better care of my own health and being present for the grandson that we just adopted two weeks ago. It was a tough decision, but I made that choice, as any husband, father, grandfather would make at that moment.”
García also denied claims that he worked with his chief of staff to get the 2,500 names required to submit her candidacy.
García’s office attempted to explain the move in a multi-point defense sent to congressional offices Monday morning, which calls the resolution against him an “inappropriate response that weaponizes Congressman García’s personal decision in order to score political points.”
“His decision to retire was driven by urgent family and health circumstances. This moment calls for understanding and empathy,” the letter, penned by his deputy chief of staff, Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampoli, read. “Congressman García followed Illinois election laws. Voters want Congress to work on affordability — not use the floor for divisive, distracting political attacks.”
Jeffries on Monday expressed his opposition to the resolution against García and offered his support for the 69-year-old lawmaker.
“He’s been a progressive champion in disenfranchised communities for decades, including during his time in Congress, and he’s made life better for the American people,” Jeffries said.
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