Lindsay Church Ends Independent Campaign for Congress in Illinois’ 4th District

After Months of Grassroots Petitioning Across IL-04, Church Says Voters Deserve “Real Choices” in Illinois Politics

Berwyn, Illinois - Independent congressional candidate Lindsay Church announced Monday that they are ending their campaign for Illinois’ 4th Congressional District, citing ongoing health challenges and the steep structural barriers facing independent candidates in Illinois.

Church, a Navy veteran, nonprofit leader, and longtime advocate for government accountability and democratic reform, launched the campaign earlier this year centered on expanding democratic choice, affordability, healthcare, civil rights, and opposition to militarization at home and abroad.

Over the course of the campaign, Church and volunteers gathered signatures across the district through train station outreach, neighborhood canvassing, and community events. While the campaign gathered enough signatures to qualify for nearly every other party ballot in the race, it fell short of the substantially higher threshold required for independent candidates under Illinois law.

“When I entered this race, I knew it would be difficult,” Church said in a Memorial Day statement released Monday morning. “But I ran because I believe ordinary people deserve real choices and a government willing to fight for them, not just the candidates political systems make easiest to survive.”

Church also reflected on the responsibility of visibility during a time of growing political attacks on LGBTQ+ communities. One of the only openly trans people running for Congress this cycle and the only openly nonbinary candidate attempting to overcome Illinois’ steep independent ballot access barriers, Church said the campaign carried a responsibility far larger than any one election. “There is immense responsibility in being visible right now,” Church said. ”At a moment when trans and nonbinary people are being legislated against, erased from public life, and pushed out of institutions across this country, I wanted people to see that we are still here, still fighting, and still deserving of representation, dignity, and a future.”

Church shared that ongoing health complications worsened during petition collection efforts and will require additional surgery and recovery time.

“There’s heartbreak in that, but there’s also clarity,” Church said. “Service doesn’t end because a campaign does.”

Reflecting on the campaign, Church thanked volunteers, supporters, and voters across the district who participated in the effort.

“No matter the outcome, I would do it all over again,” Church said. “The campaign may end here. My service does not.”

Church’s full Memorial Day reflection is available here: https://tr.ee/EAP3-56FRW