TOWN OF CICERO (WBBM Newsradio) -- The only Democrat in the race to succeed Chicago Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is offering no apologies for the apparent maneuvering that gave her that status.
Patty Garcia is not related to the Congressman who she served as chief of staff until leaving to mount her own run for his seat ... but during her campaign kickoff at the grocery store where she got her first job, she tried to draw parallels to her former boss' record as a progressive reformer.
"I was able to take my first job - taking on the Chicago Machine," she said during her campaign kickoff Wednesday morning at the La Chiquita market, 4926 W. Cermak Road.
But even some Democrats have suggested that the Congressman's decision not to end his re-election campaign until after the filing deadline -- giving Patty Garcia an unopposed primary in the heavily-Democratic 4th District -- smacked of Machine politics.
And when reporters asked about that, she was ready.
"It's an open process, she said. "Any person who's interested in running for office can apply, can circulate their petitions and submit an application."
She dismissed suggestions that Rep. Garcia's decision to file petitions may have dissuaded credible primary challengers. "Every single cycle, the Congressman has had a challenger," she replied. "We expected other people to be on the ballot."
She says she found out about the Congressman's decision five days before the filing deadline, and was able to collect 2,500 petition signatures in two days.
Rep. Garcia was supposed to introduce Patty Garcia at the event, but her staff said he was called back to Washington.
She'll face Republican Lupe Castillo and Ed Hershey from the Working Class Party on the general election ballot in November 2026 ... with others, including Chicago alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, considering independent bids.