Aarón M. Ortíz is a
Democratic member of the
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
for the
1st district.
Early life
Prior to his election to the Illinois House of Representatives, Ortíz was a teacher and college counselor at Back of the Yards High School.
He is a graduate of the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
.
Illinois House of Representatives
Ortíz defeated
Daniel J. Burke in the 2018 Democratic primary as part of a slate of Latino candidates backed by now Congressman
Chuy García
Jesús G. "Chuy" García (born April 12, 1956) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 4th district since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, as well a ...
, and Senator
Bernie Sanders
Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
. He was sworn into office January 9, 2019.
On March 17, 2020, Ortiz handily defeated his primary challenger Alicia Martinez, a worker with Brackenbox, Inc., and a former staffer and member of Alderman Edward M. Burke's political organization.
On January 21, 2021, Ortiz was added to House Leadership and was named as a new House Majority Caucus Whip. On February 5, 2021, Ortiz was elected as the House Chair for the
Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus.
As of July 2, 2022, Representative Ortíz is a member of the following Illinois House Committees:
* Appropriations - Elementary & Secondary Education (HAPE)
* Appropriations - General Service (HAPG)
* Appropriations - Human Services (HAPH)
* Labor & Commerce (HLBR)
* Medicaid & Managed Care Subcommittee (HAPH-MEDI)
* Mental Health & Addiction (HMEH)
* Transportation Issues Subcommittee (HVES-TVSI)
* Transportation: Vehicles & Safety (HVES)
Ward Committeeperson
On March 18, 2020, the same night of his first re-election, Ortiz defeated 52-year incumbent
Edward M. Burke
Edward Michael Burke (born December 29, 1943) is an American politician who is the alderman of Chicago's 14th ward. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969, and represents part of the city's So ...
to become the first Latino
Ward Committeeperson in Chicago's 14th Ward.
Electoral history
References
External links
Representative Aaron M. Ortiz (D)at the
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...
Illinois House Democratic CaucusCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortíz, Aarón
21st-century American politicians
1991 births
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Illinois
Politicians from Chicago
Schoolteachers from Illinois
University of Chicago alumni