About the Candidate
Name: Chris Dargis
DOB: Sept. 15, 1975
Occupation: Business Executive
Political Experience: No prior political experience.
Website: https://www.votedargis.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VoteDargisforCongress
Candidate Statement
Hi, my name is Chris Dargis and I’m running for Congress to fight for the working men, women, and families of Illinois. I’m running to change the extreme policies coming out of Washington that are burdening us with high gas prices, rampant inflation, and rising crime. I’m running to ensure that everyone has a fair shot at the American dream.
Now, I’m not a politician by nature. I learned common-sense, midwestern values growing up in Schaumburg. I was proud to serve our country for 20 years as a Naval Officer and Nuclear Engineer. Since then I’ve been a successful businessman working in digital technology and e-commerce, and raising my own family just a few miles from where I was born. I’ve been married for 27 years to my wife, Victoria, and together we have been blessed with three amazing children.
Today we face significant challenges in our country and around the globe, but we also have a clear opportunity to make a change for the better. And that is why I am stepping up to serve again, to meet these challenges with a background uniquely suited to overcome them. As a retired Naval Officer, I will lead to strengthen our national security while supporting our troops and Veterans. As a nuclear engineer, I will bring forward a common-sense, environmentally-sound, all-of-the-above energy policy that will lower gas prices and pave the way to a clean, energy-independent future.
As a businessman-- and as a father and husband--I know the economic challenges we all face and will advocate for pro-growth policies that lower inflation and ease the burden on Illinois families. Lastly, as the son, grandson, and husband of immigrants, I know that the shared values of fairness and opportunity that unite us are strong, and I will be equally strong fighting for those values for all Americans.
My name is Chris Dargis. I ask for your support. And together we will bring a new voice to Washington to deliver the change we need.
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
The past few years have been tough on Illinois families. I see the impacts of high gas prices on my sister, a teacher, and on others who don’t have the option of working from home, eating into budgets, and pushing struggling families deeper in debt. I see the impacts of inflation on my mother and other senior citizens on fixed incomes, as rising prices eat into savings and force untenable choices between needed medicine and groceries. I know how rising crime has turned previously easy decisions to spend a day in Chicago into one fraught with concern. I see how the American values I stood for when I served in the Navy are today minimized in favor of divisive rhetoric. And lastly, I see that our current Congressman has been a rubber stamp for the extreme policies coming out of Washington that are causing these challenges we face today.
I am running because my background as a Naval Officer, as a Nuclear Engineer, and as a Businessman give me the necessary experience and understanding to solve the challenges we face today and will face tomorrow. I am running to be a voice that unites our community in a shared vision of American principles, fairness, and opportunity. And lastly, I am running because I care deeply about the people of Illinois—my family, friends, and neighbors, the hard working, patriotic men and women who deserve better than they are getting today, and who deserve a congressman who will fight for them.
What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?
A Congressman should be working to solve the problems facing his or her district, putting country ahead of partisanship and people ahead of political interests. Unfortunately, our current Congressman has done the opposite.
As the next Congressman in the 8th District, I’ll live up to these values, leading on solutions to solve problems facing Illinois families today, and working to ensure that we provide a better future for ourselves and our children.
What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
The policies advocated by our current Congressman have led to the worst inflation this nation has seen in 40 years, hurting families in our community and all across our nation. It is not just the price of gasoline. It is food prices. It is school supplies. It is coats, jackets, and shoes for your children. Inflation is hurting everyone, but it is particularly damaging to the poor, to single mothers, to the elderly living on fixed incomes, and to people struggling to get by every day. As a new voice in Congress, I will directly address this problem by working to:
• Exempt social security payments from taxes to protect our Seniors
• Expand the child tax credit to give families relief
• Stimulate job creation by eliminating unnecessary regulatory hurdles
• Secure our border to protect wages
• Increase domestic energy production to lower costs of fuel and energy, a key component of inflation
• Stop wasteful government spending that increases inflation
What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?
I will be a strong advocate for the working men, women, and families of the 8th District. I will have multiple offices in the district to support constituent services and ensure that our government is responsive in providing the services we’ve promised to our community. I am also committed to in-person town halls and meeting voters face to face to hear their concerns and ensure that Congress is addressing their needs. I believe that serving means putting country ahead of partisanship and people ahead of political interests. I have served our Country once before as an officer in the Navy, and I look forward to the honor of serving the people of the 8th District in Congress.
