Illinois election 2026: The controversial race to replace Rep. Chuy García

Hey, it's Fox Chicago's Brandon Pope. All 17 of Illinois' U.S. House seats are up for grabs, but they all are leaning heavily Democratic and favored to be that way, but it still is made for a very buzz-worthy race in the 4th Congressional District because of a very competitive primary. This race erupted into some real controversy after Chuy Garcia, longtime congressman, dropped out unexpectedly. Critics called it a classic machine politics style move, paving the way for his former chief of staff, Patty Garcia, no relation, to swoop right in and take the nomination. Alderman Byron Siccio Lopez and Myra Macias tried running against Patty Garcia as independents, but they were knocked off the ballot and they accused Patty Garcia's campaign of orchestrating it. Siccio Lopez and Macias accuse Patty Garcia of robbing voters of choice with the way the process went down. Patty Garcia has pushed back on that assertion, saying there is no right way to enter a political race. Now Garcia faces three opponents, Republican Lupe Castillo, who ran against Chuy Garcia in 2024. You got on the independent side, Lions Mayor Chris Getty, and then you have from the working class party, Ed Hershey, a CPS teacher. So where do they stand on the issues? Well, we got answers for you. Catch the full debate on our YouTube page, Fox Chicago.