Underwood, Marter Eye 14th District Seat: IL Election 2024

PLAINFIELD, IL — Another pivotal Election Day arrives Tuesday, and Republican candidate James Marter is looking to unseat Democrat incumbent Lauren Underwood in Illinois's 14th Congressional District race.

As Underwood, of Naperville, seeks a fourth term, she faces a challenge in Marter, who won June's primary election, overtaking Charlie Kim and write-in candidate Krystal Dorey.

Underwood ran unopposed in the 2024 primary, similar to the 2022 primary. She was first elected to represent District 14 in 2018.

The 14th District represents a portion of northern Illinois, covering parts of Kendall, DeKalb, LaSalle, Putnam, Will, Kane and Bureau counties.

Lauren Underwood

When Underwood was first elected to represent District 14 in 2018, she made history both as the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress at age 32 and as the first woman to represent Illinois's 14th District, formed in 1873.

When she ran again in 2020, she defeated Republican challenger Jim Oberweis by just over 5,000 votes, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Come 2022, she defeated Republican challenger Scott Gryder with about 54.2 percent of votes, according to Ballotpedia.

Before becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Underwood worked as a nurse while also serving as a special assistant/senior adviser and policy coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She received her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Michigan and a master's in public health from Johns Hopkins University.

Since being elected to the position, Underwood has signed 18 pieces of legislation by both Democratic and Republican presidents into law.

Immigration

Underwood supports "comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship," according to her candidate website. She has voted for legislation that prevents children from dying in federal custody along the United States-Mexico border, as well as bipartisan immigration legislation regarding a temporary agriculture program that ensures farmers and businesses across northern Illinois have access to the experienced workers they need.

Gun Violence

A member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Underwood has made addressing the veteran suicide crisis a top priority and helped secure $25 million in funding to study gun violence as a public health issue.

"No child should fear for their life at school," her website reads. "No worker should fear a mass shooting at their job. Weapons of war don't belong in our neighborhoods. Gun violence prevention is a public health issue, and Lauren believes that Congress must respond accordingly with data-driven, evidence-based policies."

Health Care

Underwood's website names high-quality, affordable health care as her signature issue. Her bill, the Healthcare Affordability Act, was signed into law as part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan and was extended in the Inflation Reduction Act.

She previously voted for legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception. She has also supported calls for ensuring nationwide access to fertility services.

"As a registered nurse, public health expert, a woman with a pre-existing heart condition, Lauren’s number one priority in Congress is ensuring access to high-quality, affordable, health care for our families and eliminating cost barriers to care," her candidate website reads.

James Marter

Marter has a background that includes serving as the Kendall County Republican Chairman, Deputy on the Illinois 14th District Republican State Central Committee and an advisory board member for the Illinois Conservative Union. Raised in Bartonville, in Peoria County, Marter earned a bachelor's degree in industrial science from Purdue University, along with a minor in computer science.

He has also volunteered as a scout leader, has coached girls' and boys' basketball leagues and is a member of the education commission at his church.

Immigration

Marter's campaign website states, "We need this within our borders, at our border and beyond our borders. Bad policies have created a humanitarian crisis for immigrants, a disaster for American workers and increased threats to our national security."

He cites "risks to our health, the integrity of our elections, the safety of our neighborhoods and even terrorism," vowing that he will "work to secure the border, support law enforcement and protect American jobs and our way of life, from threats foreign and domestic."

Second Amendment

"I firmly support your Second Amendment rights," his website reads.

Health Care

Regarding health care, Marter contends that the Affordable Care Act should be repealed because it "gave us less choice and dramatically higher prices."