It has been 11 years since Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia has held political office.
He's made a comeback and was elected a Cook County Commissioner in the 7th District defeating incumbent Joseph Mario Moreno.
"I am elated," said Garcia who claimed victory while surrounded by hundreds of supports at Mi Tierra, a Mexican restaurant in Little Village, where he celebrated election night.
"I feel vindicated tonight by this victory because of the way that I suffered my first loss 11 years ago due to a political gang that was orchestrated against me and negative campaigning that resulted in my defeat," Garcia told me in an interview. "But most importantly I'm excited tonight because I see the emergence of a new Democratic potential."
Garcia, a former alderman, lost his third bid for state senator in 1998. He was defeated in large part by the H.D.O., or Hispanic Democratic Organization that had the backing of the Democratic machine. But the H.D.O. closed its campaign committee in 2008 after federal corruption investigations.
And this in part removed an obstacle for Garcia and for newcomers like Rudy Lozano Jr. who ran for state representative in the 23rd District. Garcia's win and a possible upset by Lozano (the race is still too close to call) signal a victory for reform-minded Latino candidates.
"In my mind we've already won," said Lozano explaining that coming this close is a victory in itself.
Lozano also celebrated with Garcia in Little Village. "This is already a victory for the Southwest Side, for independent politics, for community empowerment. This is a people's victory," he said.
He also told supporters that this movement started with his father, Rudy Lozano, an activist who worked closely with Harold Washington, and was later slain.
It looks like Lozano could ask for a recount in that race that pit him against Rep. Dan Burke, who has held that office 19 years and never faced a serious challenge like this one. His brother is powerful Ald. Ed Burke.
Rep. Burke outspent Lozano in political advertising in a district that is now heavily Latino. During the campaign he also was quoted in a story by the Chicago News Cooperative saying Lozano would have a hard time finding his way around Springfield. "It takes a good two years to know where the baño is," Burke said.
Lozano called such comments "patronizing" and "arrogant."
"I'm not surprised he said something like that and had no remorse about it whatsoever," Lozano told me in an interview. "He didn't even understand it was a distasteful comment."
Garcia and Lozano worked together and built up a grass roots movement and with less money and resources striking a blow against the incumbents that had the backing of the Democratic machine.
"This coordinated campaign of this emerging leader (Lozano) and a veteran leader (myself) have shown that there is reason to question the approaches to problem solving, the approaches to policy making and the approaches to machine politics, which are hierarchical and really about control and bossism...," Garcia told me. "And that needs to change and tonight we have received a mandate for that change."
Meanwhile, in the 3rd Congressional District, immigrant rights activist Jorge Mujica lost to Rep. Dan Lipinski. He garnered less than 23 percent of the vote, and it was his first time running for political office.
Filed under: Chicago, Hispanic, politics
Tags: @newsfront, Congress, Cook County commissioner, Jesus G. Garcia, Jorge Mujica, reform-minded candidates, Rudy Lozano, Rudy Lozano Jr., state legislature
