Patty Garcia (D) defeated Lupe Castillo (R), Ed Hershey (Working Class Party), and Chris Getty, a Democrat who ran as an independent, in the general election to represent Illinois' 4th Congressional District on November 3, 2026. Click here for detailed results. Incumbent Jesus Garcia (D) did not run for re-election.

Central to the election were claims that Jesus Garcia attempted to handpick his chief of staff, Patty Garcia (no relation), to be his successor. In November 2025, Jesus Garcia announced after the Democratic primary filing deadline that he would not run for re-election because of health and family issues. Patty Garcia was the only other candidate to file for the primary. The Chicago Tribune reported that Jesus Garcia's staff helped Patty Garcia collect the required 697 signatures needed to make the primary ballot.

Democrats Getty, Mayra Macías, and Byron Sigcho-Lopez all criticized the way in which Jesus Garcia withdrew from the primary to allegedly help Patty Garcia win election, claiming it was undemocratic. As they missed the Democratic filing deadline, the three filed as independents, with state law requiring each to secure at least 10,816 signatures to make the general election ballot. A senior staffer for Jesus Garcia and at least two of Patty Garcia's signature gatherers challenged the validity of Macías and Sigcho-Lopez's signatures. On July 21, 2026, the Illinois State Board of Elections said Macías and Sigcho-Lopez did not gather enough valid signatures to make the ballot. On July 31, 2026, Sigcho-Lopez sued the Board of Elections in federal court. According to CBS News, the lawsuit "accused the Board of Elections of violating Sigcho-Lopez's constitutional rights, and asked to have the petition signature requirements for independent candidates in Illinois ruled unconstitutional. The lawsuit also asked to have the Board of Elections directed to include Sigcho-Lopez's name on the ballot."

Patty Garcia and Getty ran campaigns centered on affordability and immigration. Garcia was a progressive Democrat, while Getty, according to Cook County Chronicle's Igor Studenkov, had "staked out a more moderate lane, notably being the only candidate who said he wanted to reform rather than abolish ICE, and the only candidate who declined to describe Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide."

Patty Garcia was Jesus Garcia's former chief of staff. Garcia's campaign website said, "While others offer talking points, Patty has delivered solutions rooted in lived experience—working across lines, confronting power when necessary, and producing results that people can actually feel in their daily lives. That’s the kind of leadership she’ll bring to Congress."

Getty was a licensed insurance producer, mayor of Lyons, Illinois, and town supervisor of Lyons Township. Getty's campaign website said, "In Congress, Chris will restore trust in government, protect the integrity of our elections, and defend the democratic values that make our country strong."

As of November 3, 2026, The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball rated the district Solid/Safe Democratic.

This was one of 60 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 in which an incumbent was not running for re-election. Across the country, 23 Democrats and 37 Republicans were not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts were up for election.