replace outgoing congressman has says Julie Garcia has a new candidate, 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez officially announced his bid today when a city council's Democratic socialist he'll be running as an independent to represent the 4th Congressional District Lopez sharply criticized Garcia's decision to announce at the last minute that he wouldn't run again, paving the way for his chief of staff, Patty Garcia to take the Democratic nomination and joining us to discuss the race is 4th district Congressional candidate Byron Sigcho Lopez.

He currently serves as 25th where all the person representing communities, including Colson and Little Village.

Welcome back to the program.

Thanks for being here.

Thank you, Ben So you haven't publicly talked about entering this race until Congressman Garcia announced very last minute that he wasn't going to run for re-election.

What made you want to jump them?

One just hearing across their 4th congressional district.

The need for representation in a moment like this.

We need to build a coalition.

>> And we've got to do it upholding or Democratic values.

We can challenge those who are rigging elections.

I want to be in power forever by re elections or sell.

So it was important for us to listen to concede was across different congressional districts, suburban and urban areas to work together to find solutions for the issues that we're facing as Americans across the country.

>> And of course, you know, here in Cook County, Democratic candidates have a major advantage on the ballot.

How are you looking connect with voters?

Try and overcome some of that built-in advantage?

>> Well, with the with the support were conceived through this with the power of the people.

So we will not stranger being outspent.

You know, by big corporate PACs.

That's what it was important for us to take our time to gather where people had.

And I think that there's the sired 2 to elect independent leadership that he's I'm buck.

I am confident I just made going and sessions from federal workers to teachers to people, homeowners, small businesses, the need is there nothing that we would mobilize people?

We organize people.

We organize his motivations Chinese day being a glass.

Yeah.

And speaking of mobilization as well, of course, as the matter of getting on the ballot as an independent candidate requires nearly 11,000 valid signatures in your district.

>> Are you feeling confident you'll be able to clear that hurdle?

>> Yes, and think is important.

I know there's many legal challenges being challenging going to especially knowing how difficulties for independence run.

I was not getting any other choice.

You know, fact, had no choice but to run as an independent.

But I do things and exercise and he talked to people across the district.

That is something I feel my 7 years in office.

I think comfortable talking to people gathering support from people across the aisle on a field excited about mobilizing, communities together.

2, 5, 4, 4, different.

Wally is really concerning what we've seen a country abroad home the deployment of military forces to attack the murdered even American citizens.

It demands a bold action and a few that would inspire people to come out.

Sign a petition and vote for us.

>> And when you talk to folks across the district, what are the priorities that you hear?

What are what are people concerned about when we hear people who are afraid, of course, of of the deployment of federal troops.

>> To terrorize the kidnapper to 2 murder as we saw in Minneapolis.

But we also see the issues of affordability, rising costs food.

And then also it's not not benefits being cut.

We see premiums of health care insurance going up drastically leaving thousands of people without insurance.

We see people are struggling to make ends meet to pay for rent, for mortgages.

So we see an affordability crisis with a president who does not even know what affordability means.

So it is important for us to challenge that would solutions.

So we're there listen to the shoes provide a proposal that we challenge to be in a class tax, the rich and corporations so that we can help or what some people are struggling.

>> You mentioned the ongoing and very aggressive immigration enforcement that's happening.

You've been outspoken about calling for the abolition of ICE.

Why?

Why abolition rather than the reform was that the right approach, which we reform a system bodies murdering people in plain sight.

And we saw what happened spread encore in a good also what we saw with many units inside his heat in our state.

We cannot reform a system that is broken needs to be change.

We've been calling for abolishing ICE for years.

Nobody became convenient.

We reform system that now is recreating his slave catchers that we see people running for terror.

We only need to abolish ICE.

We need to find accountability.

We need to persecute and the rest 40 by the call law enforcement.

There's nothing about lawful for people who do not respect the law.

We need to bring front of justices.

The DA in Philadelphia has already called for.

>> You know, some Democrats have called on the state of Illinois to redraw its congressional maps, try and counter Republican efforts to pick up seats in the house, although that hasn't really gained any traction locally.

But do you think Illinois should changes maps should it leave the masses?

>> Well, I think it is important that we that we don't have a politicians choosing their voters.

Voters need to choose their representatives.

I think that we need to challenge, of course, about all Democratic means.

I'm showing that we can do by challenging those decisions.

I think that is important that democratic values that we don't elections in any way, shape or form.

That is the recipe all the Republican Lindsey.

And I think for us, important that we Apollo Democratic values by a lot voters to choose their representatives and do it with solutions and ideas and what platforms.

>> You know, as we mentioned, you're aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America Group.

That's the risen in prominence over the last decade or so.

Both in Chicago and nationally.

Why do you think the DSA message is starting to connect more with voters?

we as we saw in New York when a new mayor was I was elected as Ormond.

Any show a to speak directly to what can people to speak to working people and their issues of affordability, health care, housing public education, things that working people are suffering no making know, being able make ends meet.

>> And I think that that measures overhauling to be in a class accountable is something has become more and more evident the federal government, a complete corrupt, prevent a government.

We literally being run our government at the federal level rum.

But Pena, 5 billionaires who want divide working people.

I think that Democratic session is percent and turned I was elected in 2018 and only seen that these become more and more like optional represents working people who represent a baby in a class.

>> You know, and on the flip side for folks who may be more mainline, are more moderate or conservative Democrats.

How do you communicate with with those voters about the ideas that you bring to this race?

>> We're looking for way too long.

We have allowed Republican Party too, to protect me that that is that the party that Anderson business that under understands how to small business when they're the first ones destroy small businesses with over taxation, property taxes and so forth.

So we want to make sure that we talked to the east was a working people, talking about affordability, talking about a small businesses, talking to people who are struggling to make ends providing real solution.

I think that's millionaires vaccine vaccine to be in place.

It is for so that we don't see property taxes raising health care insurance.

We are a country, the richest country in history of of are planted and unacceptable that we have people who can not have access public health care.

We also veterans who have mistreated when they have been serving our country.

Want to make sure that we expand services, those benefits to veterans.

So there's a lot of work to do with being working with people across the aisle.

I used to represent France and the Chinatown community and in community, even though there may be more conservative, we've been working together so that we are the only Chinatown in the country that is going good economic solutions, the men platforms.

And that is something that weekend that I think that we can promote a got just under a minute left.

Of course, there's a lot of action on the House side as well.

But >> there are also 3 candidates currently competing for the Democratic nomination in the Republican race to replace Senator Durbin.

Are you planning to endorse any of those candidates?

What I'm looking at time to cut funding sources.

I know that will be challenging anybody's funded by a pack.

But we also want to make sure that we look at their solutions.

What are they proposing for working people?

So I'm looking very closely at that raises an important race.

So we'll be sealed making or we've seen the debates and it's cut into Senator marketing and the urban markets.

open race.

What we can vote on ideas and platforms.

So I'll be I'll be I'll be waiting to to make the decision.

All right.

Many opat Illinois residents.

Eligibility >> reflecting the people