U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders endorses CTU organizer Graciela Guzmán in Illinois Senate race

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a fixture of progressive politics on Capitol Hill, announced Tuesday his endorsement of Chicago Teachers Union organizer Graciela Guzmán in a hotly contested Democratic primary race for an Illinois Senate seat on the city’s North and Northwest sides.

“Graciela will stand up to the political and economic establishment, fight for housing justice, and serve as a fierce ally of the working class,” Sanders, of Vermont, said in a statement. “From fighting for health care as a human right, to demanding that the wealthy pay their fair share, Graciela has the courage to challenge the status quo. I hope that the people of Illinois’ 20th District will join me in supporting her.”

Sanders, an independent, has been viewed as a champion for progressive causes, attracting a more leftist voting bloc on the national stage in his runs for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020, finishing second each time.

Guzmán is locked in a four-way race in which each candidate — including the incumbent, state Sen. Natalie Toro — is trying to convince voters that they’re the most progressive candidate in a district that includes working-class communities like Belmont Cragin, trendy areas like Logan Square and a sliver of tony Lincoln Park. The primary election is on March 19.

“Bernie’s endorsement sends a clear signal to 20th District voters about who the true and proven progressive champion is in this race,” Guzmán said in a statement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson tapped Toro’s predecessor, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, as his deputy chief of staff after he defeated a more conservative Democrat, Paul Vallas, in last year’s mayoral election.

Guzmán, a former staffer for Pacione-Zayas in the Senate, is backed by the CTU and a number of North and Northwest Side progressives, including U.S. Rep. Delia Ramírez, who was endorsed by Sanders during her run for Congress a few years ago, state Rep. Will Guzzardi and Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sánchez, 33rd, and Ald. Carlos Ramírez-Rosa, 35th — both members of the City Council’s Democratic Socialists of America bloc. Guzmán also has the endorsement of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Toro, who was an elementary school teacher, was appointed to the Senate seat last year with support from Democratic Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martínez, a more moderate Democrat who supported Vallas for mayor.

At the end of last year, Toro had a little over $113,400 in her campaign coffers. But since Jan. 1, the Senate Democrats’ campaign operation run by Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park has contributed about $1.3 million, according to state records. Additionally, five Senate colleagues — Bill Cunningham and Sara Feigenholtz, both of Chicago, Linda Holmes of Aurora, Julie Morrison of Lake Forest and Laura Murphy of Des Plaines — contributed a total of $250,000 from their campaign funds, the records show.

At the end of 2023, Guzmán had a little over $65,000 in her campaign fund but has since raised significantly more, including more than $240,000 from teachers unions, most of it from the CTU.

The two other candidates for the Senate seat are David Nayak, a doctor who also manages a farming business, and Geary Yonker, a community organizer who has worked on the business side of the Chicago Reader and WBEZ-91.5 FM.

Guzmán is the only candidate for any local, state or federal office in the Illinois primary whom Sanders has endorsed. In 2022, he endorsed Ramírez and U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson in their runs for Congress before they ending up winning their seats.