OLYMPIA, WA – Washington’s most endangered congressional Democrat in next year’s midterms sparred openly with her own party for an hour on the floor of the U.S. House on Monday night.
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is pushing a resolution to disapprove of actions by outgoing U.S. Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Illinois, that resulted in his chief of staff as the only Democrat running to succeed him in 2026. A vote on the resolution is anticipated Tuesday morning.
Gluesenkamp Perez’s Democratic colleagues lined up to oppose her resolution and stand up for Garcia. The Illinois congressman, at one point, spoke in his own defense.
Republicans exited the chamber as the debate unfolded. And no Democrats spoke in support of Gluesenkamp Perez’s move. The southwest Washington congresswoman, now halfway through her second term, was left on her own to defend the resolution.
“If you’re not going to run, you don’t get to choose your successor, no matter how noble the work you have done beforehand,” she said. “That’s what this is about, accountability.”
Garcia said he “wasn’t expecting to stand here to debate my retirement. We should not be distracted by political ploys when our constituents want us to stay focused and deliver for them.”
The 69-year-old congressman was sworn into office in 2019. He lost his daughter in 2023 and said his wife, who has multiple sclerosis, has been the chief caregiver for their daughter’s four children. He said he filed to run then made the “tough decision” to step aside.
“When a colleague chooses his family, that shouldn’t be a moment for division, it should be a moment for understanding and unity,” he said. “One day, you might be the one making that choice, and you shouldn’t have to debate it on the House floor.”
Some Democrats questioned the motives of Gluesenkamp Perez, a centrist known for going her own way in her three years of service.
“This resolution is nothing more than a cheap political stunt that pulls from the playbook of some of my Republican colleagues,” said Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois.
Democrats tried to block the resolution. But House Republicans united behind Gluesenkamp Perez to repel the attempt before heading off the floor.
Gluesenkamp Perez stood alone at the podium, a large chart with the timeline of the congressman’s actions at her side.
The congresswoman said Garcia filed a re-election petition with the necessary signatures. Three days before the filing deadline, she said the congressman signed and helped gather signatures on a petition for his chief of staff to become a candidate.
Hours before the deadline, the top aide filed to run, Gluesenkamp Perez said during her floor remarks. A day later, when it was clear they were the only two Democratic candidates, Congressman Garcia announced he would be retiring.
Democrats heaped praise on Garcia as they unleashed a torrent of criticism at Gluesenkamp Perez, a centrist known for going her own way.
“I am appalled at the hubris behind all of this,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif. “He is a legend to his district, he is a legend in Congress. This is character assassination. This Democratic intra-party fighting is not what any of us want. And it’s not what the American people deserve.”
Gluesenkamp Perez repeatedly stressed that the resolution she filed Thursday wasn’t personal.
“Nothing validates subverting an election,” she said. “The question is, do you have the right to choose your successor?”
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