Candidate · November 3, 2026
Patty Garcia
On the ballot for U.S. House · Illinois's 4th District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $527K
- cash on hand
- $157K
- issues with public statements
- 17
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · Illinois's 4th District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic1 |
| Status | Open seat — no incumbent is running for this seat. |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Her campaign website says she has a PhD in education policy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.2 It says she has run the congressional office for Illinois's 4th District for more than seven years, as District Director and Chief of Staff for Congressman Chuy García.2 It says she has worked alongside immigrant and working-class families for more than 15 years and has experience in transportation, infrastructure and education policy.2
Why they say they're running
Her campaign website says she is ready to fight for the 4th District in Congress, bringing leadership shaped by the people doing the work rather than by political convenience or Washington talking points.2
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitepattyforillinois.com3
- Facebookfacebook.com/pattyforil043
- InstagramInstagram.com/pattyforil3
- X (Twitter)X.com/pattyforil3
- Blueskybsky.app/profile/pattyforil.bsky.social3
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Economy, Jobs and Trade
Her campaign website lists raising the federal minimum wage among her top priorities.4
Her campaign website lists passing the PRO Act among her top priorities.4
- Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
- Keep current rules
- Add requirements such as a secret-ballot election before every union is recognized
Family and Social Policy
Her campaign website lists expanding the Child Tax Credit among her top priorities.4
Health Care
Her campaign website says she backs Medicare for All to ensure health care as a human right.4
- One government plan for everyone (Medicare for All)
- Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy
- Keep the current mix of private and public coverage, including the ACA
- Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals
Social Security and Medicare
Her campaign website says she supports letting Medicare bargain for better prescription prices from pharmaceutical companies.4
Her campaign website says she opposes reducing funds for Medicare and Social Security or privatizing them, and supports improving Social Security benefits to help seniors cope with rising expenses.4
- Increase benefits, for example with larger yearly cost-of-living raises
- Keep the current benefit formula
- Slow benefit growth for higher earners or future retirees
Immigration
Her campaign website says she supports a pathway to citizenship and protections for Dreamers and mixed-status families.4
- No new legal status, including for people brought here as children
- Legal status only for people brought here as children, such as DACA recipients
- Legal status, but not citizenship, for most who pass background checks and pay a fine
- A path to citizenship for most who meet requirements such as background checks
Her campaign website says she supports fundamentally restructuring immigration enforcement agencies, including abolishing ICE.4
- Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies
- Deport only people convicted of serious crimes or who threaten national security
- Focus on people with criminal records and recent border crossers
- Deport as many people here without legal permission as possible, with or without criminal records
Education
Her campaign website says public education should be funded, protected and accountable to students, parents and educators rather than privatized for profit.4
Her campaign website lists expanded Pell Grants and student debt relief among the ways she would make college more affordable.4
Elections and Government Reform
Her campaign website says she is in favor of reversing Citizens United and combating the influence of dark money in politics.4
- Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
- Keep spending unlimited but require groups to name their major donors
- Keep current rules
- Raise or remove limits on donations to candidates and parties
Her campaign website says she is in favor of ending stock trading by members of Congress.4
- Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
- Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
- No ban; keep the reporting rules, with stronger penalties for late reports
Her campaign website says she is in favor of increasing early and mail-in voting opportunities.4
Foreign Policy and Defense
Her campaign website says she favors more congressional control over the use of military force.4
Her campaign website says she favors re-channeling funds into domestic areas such as health care, education and infrastructure, and an end to all wars and occupation.4
Her campaign website calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for an end to all U.S. military assistance and arms shipments to Israel for its attack on Gaza.4
- Increase military aid to Israel
- Keep military aid at current levels, without new conditions
- Attach conditions, such as limits on how US weapons are used and requirements to let humanitarian aid into Gaza
- Reduce or end military aid to Israel
Infrastructure and Transportation
Her campaign website says she advocates substantial investment in public transport and updating current public transportation systems.4
- Shift more money to public transit, walking and biking
- Keep the current split between highways and transit
- Spend federal money mainly on highways and roads, and leave transit to states and cities
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.5
| Raised | $526,691 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $369,980 |
| Cash on hand | $156,711 |
Where the money came from
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report6filed May 18, 2026
- Candidate financial disclosure report7filed Feb 2, 2026