The House of Representatives rejected a motion from House Democratic leadership to table a resolution condemning Democratic Illinois Rep. Chuy García for “election subversion” on Monday evening.
Lawmakers voted 211 to 206 against tabling a resolution from Democratic Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to denounce her Democratic colleague for effectively hand-picking his successor. House Democratic leadership’s attempt to quash the resolution marks a high-profile example of Democratic infighting over calling out controversial behavior from lawmakers in their ranks.
Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden was the lone House Democrat to join Gluesenkamp Perez in rejecting Democratic leadership’s attempt to tank the measure. Golden, a moderate Democrat who frequently crosses party lines, is not seeking reelection.
García announced his retirement in early November after the filing deadline had passed, citing his wife’s worsening health issues and wanting to spend more time with his grandchildren.
His chief of staff, Patty Garcia — who has no relation to the congressman — declared her candidacy hours before the filing deadline closed, making her the automatic Democratic candidate in the primary contest to succeed him.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced his opposition to the resolution Monday, arguing that García has been a “progressive champion” for decades. The lead Democrat did not directly comment on whether he approved of García’s retirement gambit.
“I strongly support Congressman Chuy Garcia,” Jeffries said.
Gluesenkamp Perez, the resolution’s sponsor, argued that Democrats have a responsibility to denounce Garcia for effectively denying voters an alternative to his hand-picked successor.
“I believe election subversion is wrong no matter who’s doing it,” Gluesenkamp Perez told CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday. “Right now, we’re seeing a profound, very loud call from Americans for transparency and accountability and it’s part and parcel of that.”
“It’s not fun to call out a member of your party but I think it’s important that we’re consistent,” Gluesenkamp Perez continued.
The Washington Democrat represents a battleground House district and has crossed party lines to support GOP-backed legislation on several occasions this year. Gluesenkamp Perez was one of six Democrats to support reopening the government Wednesday and vocally criticized her party’s shutdown strategy
García’s office attempted to head off the resolution’s passage by disseminating a talking point memo to Hill offices summarizing his defense.
“Voters want Congress to work on affordability—not use the floor for divisive, distracting political attacks,” the document obtained by Politico stated.
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