U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia pulled an underhanded move when he legally but undemocratically pulled out of the upcoming election after petition signatures were due, positioning his aide to run unopposed.

Just as spineless and unprincipled is the Democratic Party’s lack of broad censure for this unscrupulous behavior on the part of a U.S. representative.

I feel strongly that our current president is a serous threat to democracy. That is no excuse for the party I have supported my entire life to engage in its own subversions of democracy.

— Anna Fillmore, Chicago

Undermining of election

Shame on U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, for supporting U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia’s retirement action that bypassed a basic tenet of democracy. It’s one thing to acknowledge Garcia for his tenure and service, but it’s a disgrace to support this undermining of the election process.

Jeffries should no longer be considered a leader. And Garcia’s blatant act may be titled “Garcia-Gate” — it’s opening and closing the gate for the exclusive admit of his chief of staff Patty Garcia. She won’t get my vote.

Patty Garcia should withdraw now. Let’s start the process over and conduct it with integrity and respect.

— John Barrett, Hinsdale

Garcia acted like a king

I would like to suggest that the next “No Kings” protest have a likeness of U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” Garcia included. No kings indeed!

— David Bohac, Willow Springs

Let the people decide

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García may have followed Illinois election law when he announced his retirement after the filing deadline, but the outcome should concern anyone who values democracy. In a safely Democratic district, the primary is effectively the election. Because Garcia waited until no one else could file, voters were deprived of a real choice. That weakens trust in the system, even if it is technically permissible.

We are seeing the same instinct nationally. Influential Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, recently urged progressives not to challenge party leadership in the House. When President Joe Biden stepped aside late in the 2024 race, the party had no practical way to hold presidential primaries.

Primaries are not a distraction. They are one of the few tools voters have to hold power accountable. If Democrats want to defend democracy, we must practice it within our own party.

Let the people decide.

— Justin Ford, candidate, 9th Congressional District, Chicago

Lawmakers’ brave act

We neighbors and residents of Chicago’s Loop want to affirm our support for the six Democratic lawmakers who reminded our military and intelligence community that when it comes to a choice between following illegal orders and following the law, their duty is to follow the law.

The Donald Trump administration has placed our military in a difficult position with warlike posturing at home, as we Chicagoans know so well, and with warlike behavior where war has not been declared abroad, in the waters near Venezuela.

In these circumstances, when push comes to shove, the military is the necessary foundation of our democracy. The lawmakers who spoke out clearly understand that fact, and we are in their debt for speaking truth to power.

So thank you to U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan for your extraordinary courage at this perilous time.

— Basel Al-Aswad, Deborah Gaebler Spira, Ghenno Senbetta and Neal Spira, Chicago

A double standard

Is it just me or does anyone else think it’s ironic that President Donald Trump called the six federal lawmakers traitors to our country for recording a video reminding our military personnel that they have a duty to refuse illegal orders?

Trump posted: “Seditious behavior from traitors! Lock them up.” He said it was “punishable by death.”

On Jan. 6, 2021, the United States Capitol was attacked by a crowd attempting to stop a joint session of Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. More than 1,500 people were charged with federal crimes relating to Jan. 6. On Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, Trump granted clemency to all of those who were convicted or were awaiting trial or sentencing related to this attack.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was among the lawmakers forced to flee during the attack, called Trump’s actions “an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol, the Congress and the Constitution.”

Ironic? To me, it just seems like a little bit of a double standard.

— Diane Knable, Wheaton

Act close to seditious

History will not be kind to those who recently participated in a brazen act of faux defiance. The amateurish Benedict Arnold group of six in Congress, headed by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, released a video calling on the U.S. military and U.S. intelligence agencies to ignore “illegal orders” from the commander in chief. What illegal orders were they referring to?

The orders to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities? The bombing of boats suspected of bringing drugs to this country? The orders to shut down our borders and deport immigrants in the country illegally, per well-established federal law? The chief executive is duty-bound to faithfully execute the laws of the United States.

The six lawmakers cited no such orders. So why did they air the video for consumption? Their intent is to cajole the agents of government bodies to defy the president. That would jeopardize the proper functioning of the government.

The six hide behind the U.S. Constitution. They are throwing stones from their glass houses.

It is a dangerous and reckless gambit as close to a seditious act as one can commit.

— Bill Anderson, Schaumburg

Dabrowski’s positions

Thank you to gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski for pointing out the negatives of the Democratic monopoly in Springfield and the sad financial condition of our state (“Illinois Republicans want their party to make arguments, not excuses,” Nov. 19). Thank you also for stating a common-sense approach to issues that matter. Sadly, the Republican Party last time around gave us a Trumpist who focused on berating Chicago and emphasizing his anti-abortion rights stance.

Perhaps in a future op-ed, Dabrowski could state his positions on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in our region and his views on our president, who pardoned so many justifiably convicted people, carried out deadly attacks on drug smuggling suspects, recently gave Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a pass on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi simply because he was “extremely controversial” and who has weaponized the Department of Justice against political opponents.

Good luck to Dabrowski in his campaign. I am hoping for a Republican I can support.

— Matt Foster, Orland Park

Insult to journalist

On Nov. 14, during questioning aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump called reporter Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg News “piggy.” He told her, “Quiet, piggy!” when she asked a question he didn’t like.

It is unfortunate that Lucey could not slap Trump across the face. Had she done so, there would have been consequences for her. But no jury would convict her, since a slap in the face is the expected and justified reaction to such an insult from a man.

— Blaise J. Arena, Des Plaines

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/28/letters-112825-chuy-garcia/