U.S. House · Illinois's 4th District
Patty Garcia
CandidateD
- Race
- U.S. House · Illinois's 4th District
- Result
- Patty Garcia, projected winner
- Opponents
- Lupe Castillo (R); Ed Hershey (Working Class Party); Chris Getty (IND)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did7 statements · 0 votes
supports a pathway to citizenship, protections for Dreamers and mixed-status families, expanded legal services for immigrants, and stronger oversight and accountability for federal immigration agencies. She also supports fundamentally restructuring immigration enforcement agencies, including abolishing ICE.
Expand immigration enforcement and deportations
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotU.S. House · 4
2026-11-03
| Patty Garcia D | challenger |
| Lupe Castillo R | challenger |
| Ed Hershey Working Class Party | challenger |
| Chris Getty IND | challenger |
Won the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary unopposed
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
Says she would work to raise the federal minimum wage.
Documented position[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
supports a pathway to citizenship, protections for Dreamers and mixed-status families, expanded legal services for immigrants, and stronger oversight and accountability for federal immigration agencies. She also supports fundamentally restructuring immigration enforcement agencies, including abolishing ICE.
Supports a pathway to citizenship and restructuring immigration enforcement agencies, including abolishing ICE, rather than expanding enforcement.[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Patty backs Medicare for All to ensure healthcare as a human right
Her campaign issues page says she backs Medicare for All.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
making the rich pay their due share
Her campaign issues page says she is advocating for making the rich pay their due share.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
finally moving towards a clean energy economy
Her campaign issues page says she favors expanding clean energy and moving toward a clean energy economy.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Patty favors more congressional control over the use of military force
Her campaign issues page says she favors more congressional control over the use of military force.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
cessation of all United States military assistance and arms shipments to Israel in its attack on Gaza
Her campaign issues page calls for ending all U.S. military assistance and arms shipments to Israel in its attack on Gaza.[7]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Democrat Patty Garcia won the November 3, 2026 election for Illinois' open 4th District seat, according to unofficial results, and will take office when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027. She holds a Ph.D. in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, worked for Latino civic organizations, and then for U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (no relation) from 2019 as district director and later chief of staff.[1][2][3][4][5]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Garcia earned bachelor's degrees in political science and speech communication, an M.A. (2009) and a Ph.D. (2011) in educational policy studies, all from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. WGN reported she is 40 and that she began her campaign at a Cicero grocery store and restaurant where she worked as a high school senior.[2][4][8] According to BallotReady, she was deputy director for constituency services-education at the NALEO Education Fund (2014-2017) and vice president of programs and operations at the Latino Center for Leadership Development (2017-2018).[4]
Garcia began working in Rep. Jesus Garcia's office in 2019, first as district director and then as chief of staff (2023-2025, per BallotReady). The Sun-Times reports she resigned as chief of staff in November 2025.[2][4][5] After Rep. Garcia announced in November 2025 that he would not seek re-election, she filed petitions shortly before the November 3 filing deadline. Critics called the sequence a coronation, and she has said the process was open and other Democrats could have filed. She was unopposed in the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary (52,616 votes).[3][8][5] She won the November 3, 2026 general election with 71.1% of the vote to Lupe Castillo's 16.1%, Chris Getty's 9.2% and Ed Hershey's 3.6%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1] According to her campaign website, she campaigned on lower costs and higher wages and on defending immigrant families.[2][3][4][5]
In their own words
Priorities
- Campaign website says she has built coalitions "standing with immigrant families facing detention and deportation, helping tenants and homeowners navigate rising costs and displacement, and working with labor and community partners."[6]
- On affordability, says she would work on raising the federal minimum wage, passing the PRO Act, expanding the Child Tax Credit, reducing prescription drug costs, and building more affordable homes.[6]
- On immigration, her campaign website says she supports a pathway to citizenship, protections for Dreamers and mixed-status families, and restructuring immigration enforcement agencies, including abolishing ICE.[6]
Campaign money$359K raised · 51% from individuals · FEC through 2026-06-30
Totals this cycle
Bars share one scale (raised = full). Cash on hand can include money carried over from earlier cycles.
Who gave
- Individuals $178K
- PACs & committees $173K
Largest committee contributions
- Carpenters Legislative Improvement Committee United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners PAC$10K
- Health Care Service Corporation Employees' Political Action Committee PAC$10K
- Amalgamated Transit Union - COPE PAC$10K
- Machinists Non Partisan Political League of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers PAC$10K
- Transformative Change PAC PAC$10K
- Ua Union Plumbers & Pipefitters Vote! PAC (United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada) PAC$10K
- Illinois Corn Growers Association Political Involvement Fund-Federal PAC$8,000
- American Association for Justice Political Action Committee (AAJ PAC) PAC$7,500
- Smart Td PAC PAC$6,000
- Air Line Pilots Association PAC PAC$5,000
Direct contributions only; outside spending is not included. Individual donors are itemized in the FEC’s receipts. All itemized receipts ↗ FEC filing ↗
Profile: /people/patty-garcia
Compare all 4 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Illinois U.S. House District 4 election results 2026 · NBC News · 2026-11-09 News report
- 2.Illinois' 4th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 3.Patty Garcia · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 4.Patty Garcia · BallotReady · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 5.What to know about the 4th Congressional District race to replace U.S. Rep. Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia · Chicago Sun-Times · 2026-10-01 News report
- 6.Illinois' 4th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-09-25 Reference
- 7.Issues — Patty Garcia for Illinois · Patty Garcia campaign website · 2026-10-03 Candidate's own words
- 8.Patty Garcia, handpicked by Chuy Garcia, aims for 4th District seat · WGN-TV · 2026-10-21 News report