Rep. Chuy Garcia accuses primary opponent, Ald. Raymond Lopez, of giving cash to election judges
CHICAGO (CBS) – U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia accused the campaign of his Democratic primary opponent, Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th), of handing out money, coffee, and donuts to election judges.
Garcia's campaign said in a statement on Tuesday that poll watchers in the 15th Ward saw Lopez's campaign "providing judges with coffee, doughnuts, and envelopes containing cash and a special thank you not from the Alderman himself." In one instance, the Garcia campaign said, a Lopez campaign worker tried to hand an envelope to a poll watcher, believing they were a judge.
Garcia's campaign also said Lopez and his team told the Chicago Sun-Times that the campaign did provide election judges with doughnuts, coffee and "cash for lunch."
The campaign said the Chicago Board of Elections and the Illinois Attorney General's Office are investigating the allegation.
Max Bever, a spokesperson for the Chicago Board of Elections, said it's common for food and drinks to be brought to judges because the board doesn't provide them with lunch or beverages. He did not comment on the specific allegation of cash being distributed and said the board is not an investigative body.
When asked about the allegation, the Board of Elections referred CBS 2 to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office which declined to comment on the matter.
For his part, Lopez said on social media that Garcia's campaign filed a complaint against him regarding his providing donuts and coffee to election judges.
"I wish Chuy respected workers the way he says he does," Lopez said in a post on X. "He could have brought the conchas!"
In a longer statement, Lopez called the allegation "baseless" and said Garcia was trying to "smear" him. He said as the 15th Ward committeeman of the Cook County Democratic Party, providing election judges with food and beverages is a "longstanding tradition," citing a statement from the Board of Elections.
"It's unfortunate but not out of character for Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia to slander the good we do to support our Election Judges who sacrifice their day to fulfill their civic duty to help all voters," Lopez said in the statement.
Still, Lopez did not specifically address Garcia's allegation that his campaign handed out money to election judges.
Garcia is the incumbent representative in Illinois' 4th Congressional District that borders Burbank and Midway Airport to the south, Halsted Street to the east, Oak Brook to the west, and just shy of O'Hare International Airport into Franklin Park to the north.
The two candidates are vying for a seat in a solidly Democratic district, so the winner of Tuesday's primary race will almost certainly be elected in November.
