Declaring that “democracy only works when voters are given a real choice,” Mayor Chris Getty officially filed petitions Monday morning May 18, 2026, with the Illinois State Board of Elections to run as an Independent candidate for Congress in Illinois’s 4th Congressional District. Supporters collected nearly 20,000 signatures, far surpassing the 10,816 required to qualify for the ballot and making Getty the first independent candidate to file in the Illinois 4th Congressional District race. Volunteers across working-class neighborhoods, immigrant communities, union households, churches, and small businesses came together to build the petition drive over twelve weeks, spanning Brighton Park, Pilsen, Bridgeport, Cicero, Berwyn, Lyons, Brookfield, Burbank, and communities across the district. Getty, 43, has served as Mayor of Lyons since 2009, when he was elected at age 26 — the youngest mayor in Illinois history at the time. He has been re-elected by his community four times and serves as Supervisor of Lyons Township. For more information, visit www.chrisgettyforcongress.com.

Photo Credit: Office of Mayor Chris Getty