Jesús ‘Chuy' García wins reelection bid in Illinois' 4th district

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García will win his bid for reelection against Republican Lupe Castillo and third-party candidate Ed Hershey, NBC News projects.

García, a former Cook County Commissioner and member of the Illinois Senate, will return to Washington for a fourth term in office after an eventful third term that saw him push hard for immigration reform in Congress and launch an unsuccessful bid to become Chicago’s mayor.

In addition to his roles as a commissioner and senator, García also participated in pushes for increased workers rights in Chicago prior to his ascent into politics. He was part of the coalition that helped propel the candidacy of former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in 1983, and was elected to the City Council in 1986, according to his campaign biography.

After his service in the Illinois Senate, Garcia launched the Little Village Development Corporation and was elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners. He launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015, and fell short in his bid to unseat former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2023, ultimately endorsing Brandon Johnson in the latter race.

In Congress, García has continued to push for immigration reform, protecting access to reproductive health care, and has also come out in favor of Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, according to his campaign website.

Castillo has worked in the pharmaceutical industry and in food service, according to her website. She ran as a Democrat in the 2022 Illinois House primary, then switched parties for a Congressional run in 2024.

Among her policy proposals were an emphasis on border security, passing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and to work toward balancing out trade deficits, according to her campaign questionnaire submitted to the Chicago Sun-Times.