Grundy Reporter

Democrat candidate for Congress Chris Butler recently stopped by the Channahon Family Fest in Minooka.

"I enjoy family-themed events and activities," Butler said. "When voted into Congress, I look forward to putting hard-working families back at the center of the conversation." 

Butler is a pastor who organizes churches against violent crime as a member of the Chicago Peace Campaign. He also owns a public affairs consulting firm, according to Chicago City Wire. Butler is a former Obama campaigner who has also worked for school choice campaigns.  

"There is dignity in raising children and providing for elderly relatives, and the market does not value such commitment," Bulter wrote in an op-ed article. "I believe in capitalism. I also believe that the market should serve and value humanity, family and community; not the other way around. As Pope Francis has said: ‘The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith.’”

The senior pastor of the Chicago Embassy Church Network is one of 21 candidates vying to succeed Bobby Rush, ballotpedia.org reported. He is known for being someone who has a moderate political view. Butler remarked that he is being encouraged to run for a congressional seat because people on both sides of the aisle are "demonizing" one other. “We can’t build on separate coalitions if we refuse to talk to each other, if we demonize each other over every little issue,” he told The Beverly Review.

Butler is running for the 1st Congressional District which includes much of Cook County, the South Side of Chicago and continues southwest to Joliet.

The Channahon Family Fest at Minooka Community is an annual event put on by the Grundy County Chamber and Channahon Minooka Chamber of Commerce.  The yearly event is a "family-centered business expo showcasing the programs, products and services available throughout the area," the Grundy County Chamber website stated.