In House Democratic primary, Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia challenged from the right by Ald. Raymond Lopez

 WASHINGTON — Bucking a national trend in which Democratic incumbent centrists fight primary challenges from the left, one of the most progressive members of Congress, Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, faces 15th Ward Ald. Ray Lopez, a frequent Fox News guest coming after him from the right.

Lopez is challenging Garcia in the Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District, which was drawn to include a predominantly Hispanic population in order to conform to the Voting Rights Act.

The district includes parts of 13 Southwest Side wards as well as portions of 30 suburbs, including Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney, Lyons, Summit, Melrose Park, Franklin Park and parts of Oak Brook, La Grange, Riverside and Brookfield.

Garcia is seeking a third term in Congress after losing his second bid for mayor in 2023. Garcia finished fourth behind current Mayor Brandon Johnson, Paul Vallas and then incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

There is no Republican on the March 19 primary ballot in this heavily Democratic district. Garcia has a running start over Lopez in this race when it comes to campaign funds, starting the year with a cash-on-hand balance of $202,798, according to Federal Election Commission records, compared to Lopez’s year-end balance of $31,422.

The candidates

Garcia, 67, was born in Los Pinos, a small town in the Mexican state of Durango and lives in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side. His rise in politics started when he was a paralegal and housing counselor during the Harold Washington era, with the late mayor bolstering the power of independent politics in the city. Garcia started his first term in Congress in January, 2019 after serving as a Democratic committeeman, a Cook County Board commissioner, 22nd Ward alderman and a state senator.

 In Congress, Garcia focuses on immigration and transit issues. Through the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Garcia has been able to steer millions of dollars to the district for a variety of programs and infrastructure projects.

He serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In this current term, his legislative initiatives include the pending New Way Forward Act, which deals with decreasing immigration enforcement penalties and the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, which would require airport service workers to be “paid the prevailing wage and provided fringe benefits,” according to the bill’s text.

Garcia’s votes on controversial bills often align him with the most left-leaning members of the House, known as “The Squad,” whose ranks include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Asked about being in the far left Democratic wing, Garcia told the Sun-Times, “I am a working-class progressive championing causes that are good for working people.”

Lopez, 45, was born in Chicago and lives in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on the city’s Southwest Side. He comes out of ex-Rep. Bill Lipinski’s old 23rd Ward political organization. After a stint in City Hall’s special events department, Lopez was a skycap at Midway Airport for nearly 13 years. He was first elected 15th Ward Democratic committeeman in 2012. He clinched the 15th Ward City Council seat in 2015. In 2022 Lopez announced he was running for mayor and then dropped the bid.

His City Council committees include Aviation, Finance, Budget and Government Operations. He developed a reputation as Lightfoot’s chief antagonist and a Johnson critic.

Lopez’s husband, Hugo, is his paid aldermanic chief of staff and is a paid staffer or consultant for Lopez’s various political efforts. He is one of the police union’s strongest City Hall supporters. The Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge No. 7 on Jan. 25 contributed $5,000 to the 15th Ward Regular Democratic Organization, which Lopez and his husband control.

Both Garcia and Lopez have long roots in opposing factions of Southwest Side politics. Lopez is a product of the old Chicago machine while Garcia comes out of Chicago’s anti-machine independent politics movement.

Lopez is on the March ballot twice — for Congress and re-election as the 15th Ward Democratic committeeman, a party post. Garcia is seeking to oust Lopez as ward boss and is backing his opponent, Jorge Agustin.

For years Garcia has been organizing to crack the massive political power of former Ald. Ed Burke, who awaits sentencing on federal corruption charges. Lopez moved his offices for his government and political operations into the West 51st Street space Burke vacated; a Burke-managed entity is his landlord.

Garcia, Lopez differences on the Israel-Hamas war, immigration

Garcia is among the most pro-Palestinian members of the House, joining those members in supporting Oct. 16 resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The measure, however, is not expected to get a vote; it makes no mention of Hamas or of getting back the hostages taken during Hamas’ attack on Israel Oct. 7. In late October, when a GOP-authored resolution “standing with Israel” passed with 412 votes, Garcia was one of six voting present.

At the City Council, Lopez voted against the cease-fire measure that passed last month by one vote. “We can discuss the cease-fire as soon as all the hostages and bodily remains are returned unconditionally,” Lopez told the Sun-Times.

Immigration is a main issue for both Garcia and Lopez. Both want to legalize the status of Dreamers, people in the U.S. illegally through no fault of their own, brought to the country as youths.

They are sensitive to the reality in the 4th District that while new arrivals flood the city, there are plenty of people who have been living in the shadows for years — and not getting any help to obtain work permits or move toward a path to live in the U.S. legally. Garcia’s statements advocating for the new arrivals always include inclusive language calling for the same help for long-time residents without papers.

Lopez has been willing to play into GOP hands.

Last December Lopez, in a Fox News appearance about the border crisis and how new arrivals were overwhelming Chicago, said Johnson was “ blaming everyone except the person who needs to get the blame, and that is President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are responsible for protecting and securing our borders and for having a functional immigration system.”

In early February, a bipartisan group of senators hammered out a $118 billion immigration package, the most significant compromise in years — even though Democrats were unable to secure protections for Dreamers. The deal called for tougher asylum and immigration laws and other items aimed at reducing the soaring number of crossings at the U.S. southern border. As part of the deal, the measure included military aid to Israel, humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank, along with money for Ukraine.

The deal is stalled for now, because ex-President Donald Trump said it should not advance. Garcia and Lopez were asked if they would have backed the bill.

Garcia said he had “very strong reservations about many of the provisions in that bill” including lack of assistance for Dreamers and “probably would have voted against it.”

Said Lopez: “I would have supported it. And I believe that could have been the first step necessary to start beginning movement on many of the other immigration-related issues,” including Dreamers.