CHICAGO — U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García will make a second run for Chicago mayor, posing potentially the biggest challenge yet for Mayor Lori Lightfoot as she seeks a second term.
García’s candidacy had once been considered a long shot because of his comfortable seat in Congress and behind-the-scenes success as a political power broker. But García, who has long dreamed of leading the nation’s third-largest city, decided to enter the mayor’s race in a risky move that could lead him to becoming Chicago’s first Latino mayor or mark him as a two-time loser.
Two days after winning another term in Congress, Garcia announced his candidacy for the Feb. 28 local election in a video Thursday and held a rally with dozens of supporters at Navy Pier, where he noted the difficult recent years of economic instability, the pandemic and a racial reckoning but portrayed himself as the candidate who can bring the city together.
