Chicago City Wire

Last week, the Cook County Democratic Party's candidate-endorsement process ended without any Latinos backed by the party in top-of-the-ticket countywide elections.

That's a blow to Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who saw his influence fade during his failed run for Chicago Mayor, when his campaign fell from frontrunner to fourth place.

The slating snubs could signal the congressman's political pull within his own party continues to decline.

Cook County Democratic Committeemen endorsed Joy Cunningham over the preferred candidate of Garcia and U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, Jesse G. Reyes, in the race to fill the state supreme court seat once held by Justice Anne Burke.

Garcia and Ramirez also made a failed attempt to push for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner Corral Sepúlveda to win the party's endorsement in the race to replace outgoing Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. Instead, Cook County Democrats selected Preckwinkle's preferred candidate, Clayton Harris III.

Cook County Democrats also declined to back incumbent Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Y. Martinez, the only Latina seeking the party's endorsement. Instead, the Democrats slated Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos. Her endorsement also snubbed Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's preferred candidate, Eira Corral Sepúlveda

Martinez and Reyes have each said they still plan to campaign in the 2024 Democratic Primary election. Sepúlveda, however, said he will not run for Cook County court clerk.

The lone Latino slated by Democrats for countywide office is Marcelino Garcia, a Cook County Health community affairs director running for reelection to the MWRD board.

In 2021, an investigation found Marcelino Garcia violated ethics ordinances by conducting work for his elected office on when he was supposed to be working his $150,000 county health system job, according to the Daily Herald.