House Democrats split over Rep. García’s rebuke of election decision

Nearly two dozen House Democrats defied the wishes of their party leaders Tuesday to vote to reprimand a progressive lawmaker for what critics called an unfair decision designed to tip the scales in his district’s upcoming elections.

The House voted to pass a resolution of disapproval against Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a measure spearheaded by one of his fellow Democrats, moderate Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.

It passed 236-183, with 23 Democrats voting with the GOP to reprimand García. Four lawmakers voted “present”: Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., and Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.

Democrats who voted with Republicans include Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., Sharice Davids, D-Kan., Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., Angie Craig, D-Minn., Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Perez.

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Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, left, and Jared Golden, right, are among the Democrats who voted to reprimand Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García despite pressure from House Democratic leaders. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images; Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“I’m on the ethics committee — generally, for things that should go to the ethics committee, I voted present,” Subramanyam told Fox News Digital of his vote.

Houlahan said, “I’m concerned that we’re in an endless cycle of tit for tat. What (Garcia) did was wrong. But my choice was to say that this needs to be addressed in the ethics committee. That’s why I voted the way I voted, because I don’t want people to keep presenting resolutions against each other for every single thing that happens.”

Craig and Perez declined to elaborate on their votes.

Perez had accused García of “undermining the free and fair election process” by abruptly changing course on his re-election bid hours before the filing deadline in his deep blue Illinois district. Critics of the move said the timing ensured that García’s chief of staff was the only person able to run in his place.

The division caused a political headache for House Democratic leaders, who opposed the resolution.

House Democrats who voted to reprimand García did so against the wishes expressed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who said Monday that Americans were “focused on the high cost of living in the United States of America.”

“I do not support the so-called resolution of disapproval, and I strongly support Rep. Chuy García. He has been a progressive advocate for disenfranchised communities for decades, including during his time in Congress. And he has made life better for the American people,” Jeffries said.

He issued an additional statement Tuesday morning alongside Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Democrat of Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, Democrat of California, calling for opposition to the resolution.

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“He is a good man who has always put the people he represents first, even though he is experiencing an unthinkable family tragedy. We unequivocally oppose this misguided resolution and urge our colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus to reject it,” they wrote.

García said his decision was due to health reasons for him and his family, as well as his desire to spend more time with his grandchildren.

Representative Jesús “Chuy” García speaks during a press conference in Washington on September 16, 2025. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Democrats’ attempt to defeat the measure failed Monday night, with Perez and Rep. Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, voting with Republicans to proceed with the vote.

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Perez laid out his case during debate over the measure shortly afterward.

“I like Chuy García. I think his reasons for retirement are noble. We are not here to judge Chuy García’s character. I ask the body to consider a set of facts presented before us tonight about how he chose his successor and deprived Americans of the right to choose their elected representative,” she said.

“A week before the filing deadline, Rep. Chuy García filed for reelection and submitted the necessary signatures for this petition. But three days before the filing deadline, he also began collecting signatures for his chief of staff, who goes by his last name. Just hours before the filing deadline, Rep. García’s chief of staff submitted the filings with at least 2,500 signatures attached, and Chuy García’s signature was the very first appearing in the petition.”

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark speaks during a news conference with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar as the government shutdown continues in Washington, October 1, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

During his own comments, García suggested that his wife’s recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was part of his decision to step down, while disputing other accusations against himself.

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“I filed for Congress because this work is more important than ever, and I wanted to deliver results for my community and hopefully be part of a new majority in the House next year. I followed the rules of Illinois and its election law…And contrary to the claims that were made earlier in the day, I did not circulate any petitions that I was accused of circulating. I only circulated when I filed my candidacy on the first day,” Garcia said.

“But looking forward, I had to be honest about what the next term would require and what my family needed. I saw the bigger picture: supporting my wife as we managed her illness, taking better care of my own health, and being there for the grandson we just adopted two weeks ago. It was a difficult decision, but I made the choice.”