DeKalb teacher, Cortland mom to challenge Keicher for statehouse seat

A DeKalb School District 428 bilingual teacher and Cortland mother of three will seek to unseat a three-term Sycamore Republican from the statehouse.

Veronica Garcia-Martinez, a community organizer in her fifth year teaching in DeKalb, announced her candidacy for state representative in District 70 on social media and in a news release on Tuesday.

“I’m running because I know what it’s like to feel invisible,” the first-generation Mexican-American said in a TikTok campaign video. " I’ve seen how families like mine work hard every single day and still struggle to be heard, to be seen and to be respected."

The district covers parts of DeKalb, Kane and McHenry counties and is currently represented by state Rep. Jeff Keicher, who announced his bid for reelection earlier this month.

Keicher, a Northern Illinois University who works as a State Farm insurance agent, vowed to work across the aisle for decreased taxes, job growth, women’s health and more.

[ Read more: GOP State Rep. Jeff Keicher to seek reelection in 2026 ]

Garcia-Martinez, a Democrat who spent over 17 years working in nonprofits and previously owned Tinez Tacos, said in an interview that she decided to run after seeing numerous arguments in the community, at protests and online. Her goal, she said, is to better unite the community and bring solutions.

She pointed to student truancy as an example, saying she’d like to see walking school buses to pick up students in the neighborhoods and rebuild “the sense of unity that we lost decades ago.”

Garcia-Martinez ran unsuccessfully for the DeKalb County Board last year, with incumbent Republican Savannah Ilenikhena keeping her seat. DeKalb County Republicans won nine of the 10 contested races for the County Board in last year, flipping control of the board.

Ilenikhena resigned from the County Board in June. The County Board has not yet appointed Ilenikhena’s replacement.

Garcia-Martinez, who had been inspired to run for the County Board by the debate over whether DeKalb County should pursue sanctuary or “non-sanctuary” status, said she initially planned on pursuing that office again.

But then changes at the federal level – in particular the crackdown on immigration and President Trump’s efforts to greatly cut the U.S. Department of Education – made her decide she needed to think bigger, she said.

She said her goal at the statehouse would be to protect education funding and make sure important programs that help bilingual learners and students with disabilities don’t disappear if federal dollars do.

“As an educator, I see firsthand the challenges our families face, whether it’s overcrowded classrooms, underfunded programs, or the growing pressures at home,” Garcia-Martinez said in her announcement video. “I want to protect what makes our schools strong, our bilingual learners, our students with disabilities, and the teachers and staff who serve them. I see students who need more – more support, more services and more people fighting for them in Springfield."

On the immigration front, she wants to do a deep dive into how immigrants contribute to the Illinois economy and explore what the state can do to better support them.

Seats in the Illinois House of Representatives are up for election every two years with the next election in 2026. The primary is set for March 17 with the general election to follow in November.

Candidates can start collecting the signatures they need to appear on the ballot on Tuesday. They will file with the state in late October.