By: Ashmar Mandou

Back of the Yards native Mayra Macías, a lifelong Democrat, launched an independent campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning. Macías is vying for the seat of Representative Chuy García, and will face off against García’s current chief of staff, Patty García, the only candidate who filed to run as a Democrat.

“We can’t turn a blind eye to anti-democratic practices here in our own backyard because they’re perpetuated by our own party,” said Mayra Macías. “We have to hold each other accountable if we’re seeking to uphold our democratic institutions and the democratic process nationally. We can’t just do it when it’s convenient.”

Macías is the eldest of three children in a Mexican-immigrant family. Her father worked as a garbage collector, and her mother is a home care worker. A graduate of Whitney Young High School and Yale University, she began her career as a middle school teacher, an experience that fueled her drive for political advocacy. She served as a field organizer for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Recently, Macías has worked as the Executive Director of Building Back Together, she worked to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s policy agenda, which has directly benefited Chicago residents through measures like lowering prescription drug costs and securing funds for transportation infrastructure. She has served on the board of Planned Parenthood Action Fund since 2020.  “I would say that in a moment when we Democrats are fighting the Trump administration and attacking the Trump administration on eroding democracy, we need to have a candidate who can speak credibly to defending democracy, and it is hard to do that when you partook in an undemocratic action,” Macías said.

Inflation, President Donald Trump’s economic policies, and affordability are just a few key issues Macías intends to focus on if elected. Stated in her own biography, Macías said she displays the credibility to represent the 4th congressional district. “I learned the value of hard work from seeing my parents provide for us. My father was a garbage man for the city of Chicago, and my mother is still a home care worker,” Macías said to media. “My dad had a good union job. He was the sole breadwinner for a while in our family, and was able to make ends meet and have a little extra money to support her extracurricular activities. I have cousins and family friends who work in, you know, these jobs, and they’re no longer able to make ends meet with just that job. They have to pick up side jobs or gigs in order to put food on the table, and that has been top of mind as I talk to voters within the district.” To learn more about Macías, visit voteformayra.com.

Photo Credit: Office of Mayra Macías for Congress