Citing health and family considerations, U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia on Tuesday defended a last-minute maneuver that all but guarantees his chief of staff will take his place.

The Chicago-Sun-Times broke the news that Garcia will not seek reelection , with his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, filing petitions for the 4th Congressional District just before a 5 p.m. Monday deadline for filing. Two sources confirmed Garcia’s plan to step down and pull petitions he filed on Oct. 27.

On Tuesday in an interview with Capitol Fax’s Rich Miller , Garcia said petitions for his chief of staff were circulated Saturday and his organization collected 2,500 over the weekend. The congressman said a warning from his cardiologist last week to slow down — and his wife telling him not to run — were among the

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